Venganza
by Thunk
Summary: (Complete) Naraku is dead, and Kouga is now faced with polygamy in order to keep his precious tribe from dying out. Problem is, his heart is monogamous. And to his horror, he finds it fixating on the very demon that slew his men to begin with. KK
1. Chapter 1

**This story IS self-contained, even though it's the third in a series. For those of you who haven't read BESO, here's a quick recap from chapter 6, from Kouga's POV: **

He watched as Kagome fell lightly to the ground, unconscious. Kouga let the darkness and pain start to claim him. It was over. She'd done it. Naraku was no more. In his fading vision, he saw the monk reclaim the Shikon no Tama, and slump Inuyasha's bloodied body over the firecat. Then he retrieved Kagome and hopped on behind the hanyou.

They approached Kouga, whose head had begun to loll back, and he was faintly aware of a conversation.

"You have no room for the wolf prince, monk." It was Kagura's voice. He recognized it from the depths of his nightmares.

A brief silence. "But…he needs help."

"I'll return him to his people."

Pause. "Why would you do that?"

A deep, maniacal chuckle. "To defy the last order Naraku gave me." "To kill Kouga."

"Mm...A token of my independence."

**VENGANZA  
**(ben-gàn-tha revenge/vengeance)

**_Prologue_**

* * *

Kouga came to with a hissing intake of breath. The pain was mind-numbing, as though every nerve in his chest were given twice the sensitivity. As though someone had impaled his body on a nasty, splintered stake. 

He strained to observe the damage, his vision focusing barely enough to make out the mangled flesh of his pecks, protruding ribs, copious amounts of blood and pain…

_Ugh_, he winced internally, noting also the gaping hole in his metal armor, _I WAS impaled_. At that point flashes of the final battle returned - Inuyasha's demise, and Kagome's surge of power. Naraku's defeat, thanks to Kagura's betrayal…

_Kagura…_ His awareness perked. _Where am I?_ His vision still blurry, he used his other senses to assimilate the chill breeze, and the sensation of flying. His fingers twined in soft fibers beneath him, and a heat source radiated from his right.

But his concentration was broken by his own demonic body, as it went through the grueling task of healing itself. He tried to bite it back, but a pathetic whimper quivered on his lips as his vital organs re-adhered, his bones re-structured, and his skin replenished. It hurt like hell. Why was consciousness always the _first_ thing to be restored?

"Hn. Awake so soon?"

He froze. That voice. Deceptively soft. Melodious. Confident. It triggered memories. Bad memories. The smell of death on the wind. The musky, wet stench of slaughtered wolf youkai, and a hatred so fierce and unforgiving that it would have winded him had his lungs been whole…

"_You…_," he spat, more than spoke, and glared through narrowed eyes at the one being he'd die to kill. Kagura was kneeling next to him on her air-born feather, those penetrating scarlet eyes regarding him with all the haughty arrogance of a self-declared goddess.

What the hell was she doing?

"Bitch," he seethed, wincing anew at the pain in his body. "Where are you taking me?"

Her lip twitched in disgust at what he assumed was his face, before it curled up into a smirk. She fixed her gaze ahead, the wind fluffing loose tendrils of raven hair about her ivory brow. "Your mountain."

His heart jumped up into his throat, as visions of his kin's slaughter branded his mind's eye. "Keh!" he forced sound into his words, despite the battered tissue. "Think I'll let you use me as a decoy to lure out and destroy the rest of my tribe?"

Her eyes flashed in annoyance, and she glared down at him. "You're not that important to me. And I certainly don't care about your people enough to waste my time finishing them off," she snapped before breaking eye contact. Her next words were quiet, as though she weren't wholly comfortable saying them.

"I'm sparing your life."

Kouga blinked. His mouth fumbled inarticulately over some shocked response. Apparently, the blatant confusion at her response radiated off his body in tangible waves, because she clarified.

"There are only so many ways to defy a dead master, wolf boy."

It took him several confusing moments to process her words. And even then, they didn't ring true. Kagura was evil. Made up of seven layers of evil. Peel those away, and the hell-cat had an evil core. It wasn't her vengeance against Naraku masquerading around as altruism. It was some other ulterior motive. He was sure of it.

The strain caused another wave of pain to wash over him, and he grunted and clutched at his chest. She reached out to steady him, and he swiped clumsily at her in response. "Don't touch me!"

She leaned back and clicked her tongue. "Idiot. You'll fall off-"

"Do you take me for a fool? You actually expect me to believe that bullshit?" he pushed through the ache with his usual vehemence. "What are you planning, Kagura!"

Her brow knotted, and her lips thinned. For a brief second, he thought she might lose composure, but the disciplined female inhaled deeply, and seemed to blow out the tension. Her next words were controlled. Even.

"You were much more pleasant when you were unconscious," she said, gripping her fan against her hip. "If you don't shut up, I'll just drop you off here. Makes no difference to me."

He searched her face. She was irritated. Perhaps a little perplexed. But that was all. No animosity. No maniacal glee at the notion of killing him… Against Kouga's better judgment, he started to believe her. For once, he didn't see his death in those large crimson pools.

"Then you're a greater fool than I thought," he grated, with a little less venom. "Securing my life only guarantees your death, wench. My agenda won't change concerning you."

A derisive, and unladylike snort was her response. "Please. You're no threat to me, brat. You never were."

The chill breeze from flying did little to cool the blood that boiled under his skin, and he gasped at the rage that burned in his throat. He sat up, ignoring the screaming nerves. His hand snaked out, and got a fistful of her kimono, and he yanked her wide-eyed face close to his. "I'll kill you, do you hear me? I won't rest until your blood is on my hands-"

She hissed, and caught his wrist, bending it back. In his weakened state he was no match for her.

"Well, then…" she said, surprising him by jamming her sharp nails into the flesh of her own palm, causing little red droplets to tear up and bleed down her wrist. She then clasped his fingers, smearing his hand pointedly with _her_ blood. "Is that all?"

The act elicited immediate repulsion. Feeling violated, Kouga instinctively leapt back. Too far back. He toppled over the edge of her feather, and his stomach lodged in his throat as the freefall pulled him down. He anticipated a long drop, but the ground slammed into him after just seconds.

He faded momentarily as the impact reopened his gruesome wounds, making him wish he'd been out longer. When his eyes adjusted, he saw Kagura hovering over him on that blasted feather. The expression on her face as she studied him was…different. Strained. Searching. As though…

No. She couldn't possibly be checking to see if he was all right…

Being in far too much pain to berate her eloquently, only the two most significant words made it past his lips. "_Hate…you…_"

She exhaled, and her eyes crinkled with amusement. Kagura opened her mouth to say something when a wolf's howl sounded near by.

Her head jerked in that direction, acknowledging the approach of Kouga's pack with a slight nod. "Not your home, but close enough, wolf boy." She looked like she wanted to say more, but apparently decided against it. With a two-fingered wave, she ascended into the sky.

Grimacing through the haze of his searing injuries, Kouga watched her leave, highly uncomfortable with the perplexed state Naraku's lackey had left him in. She'd spared his life. And not just that, but she'd carried his wounded body home as well. It was confusing him, clouding his hatred…

It was the first time he'd lost momentum regarding his oath-sworn revenge, and he panicked. In response, Kouga deliberately conjured up the visuals of his massacred men. Brethren who had trusted him. Those who he'd sworn to protect. All butchered wantonly, pointlessly, their corpses desecrated with the unholy dance of death.

By Kagura's hand.

It only took moments. By the time his pack reached him, he hated her all over again, the animosity as white hot as when he discovered her treachery the first time around. He held his breath as his men eased him gingerly onto a carrier. He needed to recover - and as soon as possible.

The wolf prince had a Wind User to kill.

* * *

**A/N:Worry not. I tie up some loose ends from SOLEDAD in the next couple chapters, working in some scenes that many of you requested. Thank you for reading and supplying me with such wonderful ideas, good folk. This story is gonna be a fun one to write - though difficult! I was rewatching old episodes - and dude. Kagura and Kouga really REALLY hate each other!**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**

* * *

South. 

She'd never been this far South, before. It was definitately warmer, and the land looked different. She'd just passed the largest expanse of grassland she'd ever seen, wondering what kind of animals must live there to be able to survive something as common as a storm. And up ahead was a smaller mountain range, lighter in color and rounder in steeps. 

A different life called for a different setting, she decided. A new place, with no ties to before. Kagura was free. She could live how she wanted to live, be what she wanted to be, hate whom she wanted to hate… It was euphoric. Intoxicating. Beyond exciting…

Or at least it should have been.

_What's missing?_

The question lodged in her brain like a blaring canker. It had been nagging her the moment she dumped the wolf prince off at the base of his mountain - half a day ago. She narrowed her eyes at some random spot on the passing ground below, going down a mental checklist. 

She'd obtained her revenge against Naraku. Her powers were in tact. She'd even left the final battle, unscathed. It had gone as well as possible. So exactly what the hell was this unease? This emptiness nagging at the edges of her soul like a long buried…_something_? 

It made her cringe, that was for damn sure. Especially when it jolted her with random 'moments' of her short life. Like the reds and blacks of Goshinki's mindless rampage through the human villages. Or the deep, haunted eyes of little Kohaku as Naraku strung him about like some macabre puppeteer. And then, there was the wide-eyed, despairing horror on Kouga's moreno face when he saw what she'd done to his men… 

_Ugh…_ She hissed softly against the wind, squinting away the most recent rush of memories. Why was she feeling such discomfort over assignments she had no control over? Hell. She'd even delighted in slaying the army of youroukozu, trying out her powers for the first time.

But now… She considered the properties of regret. Guilt. And a number of those elusive sentiments that she knew existed but was never taught to feel. Blast it. This inability to read herself was a side effect, no doubt, of being born with all the knowledge one could ask for, but without the memories of having ever attained it. A gift. A curse. She couldn't decide.

_Damn you, Naraku. Even now, I'm in your accursed shadow..._

In response to her unspoken rant, the recollection of his deep, rhythmic chuckle echoed in her ears, and she dug her fingers into the webbing of her airborn feather. To further disorientate her sense of self, a sudden, uninvited visual of the wolf prince's visage popped up in her mind - fine brows knotted in the middle, dusty eyelashes feathering against his smudged cheeks, feverish lips stretched down in a grimace of pain… She had it memorized. Against her better judgment, she'd found herself staring at it while he was unconscious on the way back to his mountain - all the while, trying to convince herself that she was helping him out of spite for her dead master.

She'd even believed it for a moment, there, too. That the karmic 'HA!' of her betrayal, Naraku's death, and her long-awaited freedom hadn't been enough. And that she'd gone out of her way to not only spare that mangy wolf during battle, but bring his wounded body safely home as well. Just to spit on her maker's memory.

_Yeah, right_, she sighed internally, reluctantly admitting there had to be more to it. Exactly what, she wasn't sure, and wasn't about to analyze why. The Kagura under Naraku's command would have killed him without a second thought. But she wasn't under Naraku's command anymore… 

_Who am I?_

The question burned at the forefront of her mind like a dragon's flame. It may have driven her crazy, but in that precise moment, a scream sounded from below. Startled, Kagura looked down, and found herself wondering how the hell it was that she hadn't noticed the commotion earlier. It was sheer pandemonium. Humans falling by the wayside, scurrying about like insects on the blitz, hunted by weasel demons... She watched the scene with her usual detached intrigue…

Or tried to...

It was gradual, but her blood started to crescendo in her ears, and her hands began to tremble. As though on a will of its own, her feather descended slowly, and her weapon made its way into her white-knuckled grip. Suddenly it became quite clear to her that there was at least one thing about the liberated Kagura that was different from the enslaved one. 

Apparently the liberated Kagura didn't like bloodshed. 

Especially when it involved little children. 

**

**

* * *

**FOUR MONTHS LATER**

Kouga squared his shoulders, and straightened his spine. His hands twitched to knock down the nearest kitsune, but he held them diplomatically at his sides. Intimidation had always worked in the past, and now that the wolf prince was without reinforcements, he had to make sure it worked now. 

Through condescending eyes, he stared the fox clans down. It wasn't the first insurrection, but the first that truly worried him. There had to be three or four tribes, complete with females, elderly, children… All gathered, now that rumors of his slaughtered men had finally reached the valley. And they'd come to take their lands back. 

Their leader stepped out, a burly, thick youkai with bushy red hair. 

"You know why we're here, Kouga," he said, motioning his arm in a broad sweeping gesture at the east side of the mountain. 

Kouga donned a smirk. He was alone. Deliberately. First off, if this came to blows, he wasn't about to lose any more of his people, and secondly, his projection of amused arrogance unnerved the enemy, as though he had something up his sleeve. 

And now was the moment. He'd decided weeks ago that if something like this happened, he'd have to make a concession. The wolf tribes, quite simply, were no longer equipped to bully the other youkai off this great mountain. There weren't enough of them. 

Kouga folded his arms and sneered down at their leader, trying to radiate his usual cockiness. "Yes. I know why you're here, kitsune. You want your lands back." 

"And we're prepared to take it by force-"

His words were interrupted by Kouga's deep, rumbling chuckle. Nervous and alert, the leader shifted weight uneasily from one leg to the other. 

"Well, you're in luck," Kouga said, satisfied at the shocked look on the kitsunen faces. He had them in the palm of his hand. "We've grown…_weary_…" he drawled out the word, letting them make of it what they would, "of maintaining the lower east side." He smiled sardonically, making a mental note of the paranoid whispers rumbling through the crowds. 

_"What's happened to our land? Why is he just giving it to us? Why doesn't he want it anymore??"_

Truth was, nothing was wrong with it, and it pained him more than a little to just give it away. Securing these lands was how he and his gang came to power to begin with. But his gang was dead. And for the few that remained, he had to avoid war at all costs. 

"Just stay out of the upper territory, if you know what's good for you." 

"We've come to claim _all_ our old lands back. You know damn well that the upper territory-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. It was a strategic moment for confrontation, and Kouga materialized in front of their leader, and clamped his claw around his neck, elevating the choking kitsune in the air. 

Gasps, and cries of alarm sounded all around him, as the males readied their weapons. Kouga's smile never left his face, pointedly baring his sharp teeth. The kitsune struggled, his face reddening, his eyes bulging. The wolf prince let his nails pierce the skin of the leader's throat, silently warning the others to keep their distance. 

Locking stares, he grated out menacingly, "The lower east side, kitsune. No higher, or the blood of you and yours will fertilize our grounds," Kouga flicked a deliberate glance at one of the children clinging to his mother's leg, and curled his other hand into a nasty claw, extending the nails. Those around him flinched at the noise. "Unless that's what you want..." 

Three very tense seconds passed, and even in the chokehold, the kitsune leader managed to look defiant. Kouga held his confident air, but internally held his breath. Finally, the leader relented. A subtle nod, and that was all. 

He dropped the fox demon, watching him crumple to the ground. Then Kouga folded his arms haughtily as the leader stood shakily to his feet, nursing his wounded neck with a massaging hand. "Glad we could come to an understanding," Kouga affirmed. 

The leader's lip twitched, still trying to regain composure from the attack. "You just stay the hell away from us, Kouga. You and your pack." 

"Respect our territory, and our paths will never cross." 

Hesitance. Nod. And Kouga laughed enigmatically. It was all a front, and they'd bought it. With a mocking wave, he turned and left. 

Only to scowl once he was out of range. The branches whipped at his face, and the brambles tore at his skin, but he was barely aware of them as he raced back to his clan. 

This one concession might be the first of many in an effort to protect his people. They'd lose all their land eventually if he didn't start planning now for the future. When he'd recovered from Naraku's battle, Kouga quickly realized that the carefree days of being a pack leader were over. Circumstance had forced him into a heavier role, one he embraced with morbid acceptance. After all, his father had been a youkai lord. And it was time for Kouga to step up and assume the greater responsibilities.

So he'd placed his focus on his people, having spent the last three months gathering what was left of the other tribes and centralizing them near the top. Granted, they were mainly women and children. The wolf youkai from the Southern and Eastern clans had been maddened by Naraku's evil presence, literally slaying each other into damn near extinction. 

And then the North guys, and most of his Western tribe had been butchered by that Kagura…

_This is all your fault, Wind User,_ he repeated for the hundredth time, the rage coursing through his veins anew. _I'll get you for this!_ His lands were almost secure. And when they were, he could finally go hunting for the element demon, and avenge his people. It was the first thing on his 'to do' list. 

Well, almost the first thing. 

_Kagome…_ He needed her. Now. Kouga knew the tribe needed to replenish itself as soon as possible. But in order to do that, certain…_practices_...needed to be put into place. 

He cringed. Polygamy wasn't something he advocated, but for all the enemies his people had, the wolf tribe might very well die out if he didn't implement it soon…

And it didn't help that the pressure from the clan was tremendous. Hakkaku and Ginta were talking about it constantly, trying to coerce him into declaring it. And then all those impatient females…growing bolder by the day, trying to get him into bed…

There were only two dozen men left, with nearly 300 females. Taking several mates was arguably his responsibility. He didn't deny it. But the gang leader hadn't come this far by being stupid. He was well aware of the politics behind polygamy, and the jealousy and backstabbing that would ensue. Youroukozu were territorial on every level, and competition would be especially fierce for the prince's wives. It was tedious enough ruling over a people without having to worry about all the petty nonsense that plural marriages would toss into his already-complicated life. And the responsibility of the children! How could he raise them well and without bias if there were so many? Besides, his parents had been monogamous. His heart was monogamous. _Kagome_ was monogamous…

And marrying her was the only way he might be able to exclude himself from the act of plural marriage, while enforcing it on the rest. The thought of her temperament made him smile. There was no way she'd share her man. And after what he'd seen of her miko powers from that last battle, the tribe just might fear her enough to respect that. 

It would save him the hassle of declining the multiple pairings for himself, and the threat of being called traitor when he was anything but. And without all the other distractions, he could finally do away with that damn hanyou. 

_It's settled then,_ he decided as he approached the nearest lookout, waving at his spiky-haired comrade. "Ginta! Tell the others that the kitsune clans will only inhabit the lower eastern lands. They won't venture further up. I've made sure of it."

Ginta nodded absently, his brows raised curiously. "But Kouga, where are you going?"

"To collect Kagome and bring her back here." 

Ginta's eyes widened, and he nearly dropped his staff. "I thought…with all the unwed females here that you'd…you'd…"

"And betray my woman? Keh! Do I look like that kind of fool?" 

Ginta stammered inarticulately, and before he could get another word out, Kouga turned on his heel and waved. "I'll be back in a couple days!" As he left his stupefied buddy behind, the wolf prince deliberately ignored his sixth sense. The inherent ability that had protected him on so many occasions with whisperings of danger, had irritatingly taken to second-guessing his decision to make Kagome his wife. 

Even now it had the audacity to suggest that things would backfire with Kagome. That somehow, he would be hurt. 

But Kouga's natural stubbornness was augmented by his desperation. After just moments, his sixth sense got tired and gave up. 

The fool prince would make his mistakes.

* * *

  
  
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** 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 ~ 9 ~ 10 ~ 11 ~ 12 ~ 13 ~ 14 **


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3_**

* * *

"Such a sweet child." Deep melancholy sigh. "I imagine Myouga and I would have had a daughter so endearing, like yourself, had he not," sniff, sniff, "run out on me--" 

"Hush, Shyouga. Please," Rin urged gently, quieting the aged flea youkai perched on her shoulder. She didn't mind the newcomer. Not really. Sango-sama said the bug demon was lonely, and needed company. It was just that... "It's very important that we're quiet." 

"Ah, yes," Shyouga whispered. "Right, right." 

Satisfied, Rin focused her attention ahead. It was absolutely still. Like a painting. The sun hadn't even peeked over the eastern mountains yet, and the meadow near the fields was blanketed in sparkly dew, a flowery smell, and most importantly…

_Butterflies…_

The young girl held her breath in a barely contained excitement, and forced the smile that threatened to split her face, back down to a straight line. Kohaku said that butterflies couldn't hear smiles, but she knew otherwise. The skittish insects scattered almost every time her lips curled upwards. 

But not this time. She was gonna get 'em. LOTS of 'em, this time. Rin wasn't exactly sure how it all worked, but butterflies made fuzzy caterpillars, and fuzzy caterpillars made silk. And any young girl worth her weight in labor knew that silk made pretty clothes. Hence, with all the stealthy quietness of a shadow, she inched forward on her tippy toes. Gently… Quietly… Almost… 

_Ssshink!_

Rin froze, and Shyouga gasped. 

_Whoomp whoom whoomp, SCTHWOOOSH!_

_Agh! Kohaku!_ She whimpered as the sound of his practicing in the nearby fields startled the winged bugs, causing an entire layer of meadow to flutter simultaneously upwards. 

"Ah, they're getting away!" Shyouga barked. 

Frantic, Rin looked at the net in her hands. Then glanced at the butterflies. At her net. The butterflies…

She tossed it spastically, and darn her luck, she managed to miss every single one of them. "Oh…!" she exclaimed as they taunted her with their frolicking escape. But there was a small part of her that was delighted her chances were ruined. Because it meant that she could now do…

_THIS! _

"Wheeeeeeeee!!!" Hiccuping giggles followed her high-pitched squeak of delight as Rin bolted through the meadow, flapping her arms wildly. Shyouga was bounced right off her shoulder, but she barely noticed. If the butterflies were startled before, now they were outright frenzied, blitzing and dancing about her like eddies in a river. They gave her all the reaction she could hope for. She hopped, spun, and bumped…

…right into something…warm…_soft…_

No. Not something. Someone. Rin gasped and stared wide-eyed at the seashell sash of a lilac kimono, embroidered with light feathers and gentle swirls. An icky feeling lodged in her gut as she timidly tilted her head back to see…

Shiny, manicured hair, slanted scarlet eyes, heart-shaped, beautiful face… A face she remembered. One that belonged to the prettiest lady she'd ever met. 

And the most dangerous…

"He still keeps you around, does he?" the woman asked. 

Rin choked. Small terrified limbs tripped and stumbled as she frantically backed away. "Sesshou…" swallow, gasp, "Sesshou…" hiccup, "SESSHOUMARU-SAMA!!!" she screamed, falling on her rump. A whirring sound caught her ear, and the Wind Demon glanced left, and shifted three feet back. A chained scythe cut the air where she'd been and imbedded deeply in the ground. 

"Stay back, demon." It was Kohaku's voice. Rin's heart leapt in her throat as the older boy materialized between them, his weapon already recollected in his white-knuckled fist. Rin gawked at him. His usual kind demeanor was replaced with something darker. Threatening. It made her feel both safe, and nervous. 

"Rin, are you all right?" he asked shakily, without turning around. 

Rin sniffed, and scrambled to her feet. "Careful Kohaku! It's her! The one who…k-k-kidnapped me-" she halted, distracted by the expression on the demon's face. 

The woman's earlier composure was completely gone as she gaped at Kohaku. Mouth hung part open, eyes saucer-wide, posture slackening... "Ko…_Kohaku?_"

The boy crouched down in a fighter's stance, doubly alarmed. "How do you know my name?" 

She blinked. "I watched him kill you…I don't…" she shook her head in obvious disbelief. "How…?" Her face shifted through several emotions until it finally relaxed, as though she'd just answered her own question. "So it's true," she mused seemingly to herself, her voice as smooth as running water. "The sword _does_ resurrect the dead. But…" she looked contemplative. "You don't remember me, young Kohaku?" 

Kohaku studied her suspiciously. "No." 

Her eyes narrowed in scrutiny, not disbelieving. "Your memory has been purged," she stated, her face softening. "Hmm… Perhaps it is for the best."

"Stop talking nonsense," he retaliated heatedly. "What do you want?" 

She clasped her hands in front in mock respect, and bowed demurely. "At ease, young ones. I came only to speak to the girl's master." 

_She came to speak to--_ Rin startled, as Sesshoumaru himself suddenly appeared to her left, a great white presence that brightened the meadow. His amber eyes were wary. Angry. And he had one hand on his hilt. 

"About what?" he asked darkly.

Un-intimidated, the Wind User met his gaze, her expression supplicating. Honest. 

"About the nature of his weapon." 

* * *

**LATER THAT NIGHT…**

"OH! There it is! I see it! I see Sango's village!" 

Kagome laughed as Shippo scrambled down her back like a squirrel down a tree, too anxious to be carried the last several yards. She understood perfectly well his excitement. It had been nearly three months since they'd seen Sango last, and even Inuyasha had a lighter-than-usual bounce to his step. 

"Ah, she's marked the graves of her loved ones with holy charms," Miroku commented, drawing Kagome's attention to the numerous mounds of dirt that bordered the eastern wall. It was obvious that much time and care had gone into distinguishing them, an individual trinket and prayer sheet suspended with a hanging mechanism over each head. 

"It must have taken her forever," Kagome said, noticing with relief that Miroku seemed as platonic as ever towards their friend. He'd recovered months back from her rejection with his usual accepting ease, acknowledging that their friendship would have no doubt been ruined by an attempt at something more. 

Miroku's eyes wandered, and Kagome got the feeling they always would. It made her pause, again grateful for Inuyasha's committed nature. She smiled and looked over to her handsome hanyou…

Only to see his brows drawn tight in the center over troubled, golden orbs - his fingers absently curling into fists. 

"What is it, Inuyasha?" 

He flicked a stern glance in her direction, and then homed in on Sango's village. "My brother's still here." 

Their walking came to an abrupt halt, Kagome, Shippo, and Miroku blurting out in staccato succession; 

"What?" 

"Sesshoumaru?" 

"Are you sure?" 

Without taking his leery gaze off the village, Inuyasha nodded. "His stink is everywhere. And there's something else in the air that I can't…quite…" He stiffened. His eyes fluttered wide, and thinned to slits immediately. Kagome watched nervously as Inuyasha's entire body tensed up, his lips curling into a glistening snarl. He turned slowly around to look in the direction from which they'd come. 

"That pompous, self-important, _bast_-"

"Yo, Kagome!" 

Kagome gasped, and spun around. She knew that voice all too well. 

_Kouga-kun?_

None other. The wolf prince sprinted the last several yards between them and came to a skidding halt, his thick ponytail flopping over his shoulder. He ignored Inuyasha like usual, but there was something different about him as he stared at her with those fierce, cerulean eyes. Something strained. Urgent. 

It gave her the immediate impression that he'd come for more than just casual flirtations. "Is everything okay?" 

In response, he went to grab her hands, and then frowned confusion. He blinked. He spun around behind her, and made a small noise of surprise. "Your hair…"

_Oh yeah_… she thought, tossing a guilty glance at Inuyasha, whose face was already reddening. "I cut it," she said, not adding why. It had been rash. Apparently Inuyasha had no trouble whatsoever distinguishing her from Kikyo…something she learned after the fact. 

Kouga ran his fingers across her stumpy ponytail, shaking his head in disbelief. "You defy customs as though they mean nothing," he mused, seemingly to himself. Then a surprised chuckle escaped his lips, and his face brightened in unmasked admiration. "Defiant, and unafraid of change, you are. An attribute that you'll no doubt need as my wife-"

A pointy-clawed swipe cut him off, and Kagome stumbled back into Miroku as Inuyasha stood between them, chest heaving, shoulders tense... 

Kouga growled, and crouched into a fighter's stance, glaring at the hanyou. "Stay out of this, dog turd!" 

"Still staking claim to someone that isn't yours, wolf breath!?" Inuyasha hissed, extending his claws. "I suggest you leave before I-"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," coaxed Miroku, as he swiveled around Kagome, coming between them and holding placating hands up. "This is a happy occasion. We haven't seen Sango in months, and it's hardly polite to show up on her threshold, quarreling." 

Kagome looked anxiously between the panting males, suddenly concerned for Miroku's safety. Shippo clung to her leg, prattling nervously about the guys' temperaments. She still wasn't used to the augmented powers of the Shikon no Tama, but there was a subliminal _something_ nagging at her as she looked at Kouga. Usually his rage was deliberate. Under control. But there was the slightest hint of berserker in his face, like the day he'd lost his tribe to that Kagura. She looked around. 

What was triggering it? 

"Come now, you two," she said. "There's no need to fight-"

"Yes yes," Miroku added, "Kagome-sama is her own person-"

"Dammit. I don't have time for this!" Kouga shouted, circling predatorily around the monk to get at his opponent. "She has to come back with me today!" 

"She's not going anywhere with you!" Inuyasha screamed back. 

A surprise to them all, Kouga swatted Miroku aside viciously, sending him sprawling several yards back. With his forward momentum, he lunged at Inuyasha, who dodged, and jabbed at him in return. 

"Miroku!" Shippo screamed, running over to their fallen friend. To Kagome's relief, the monk sat up groggily, holding his head in his hands. The look on his face was pure agony. After being backhanded by a full-blooded youkai, it was a miracle he was even conscious. 

Kouga definitely wasn't himself. Kagome watched with growing panic as he and Inuyasha leapt at each other, a flurry of punches, kicks and invective. Blow was met with vicious blow, and droplets of blood rained on the ground beneath them. 

"Stop it, you two!" Kagome screamed in vain, clutching her hands to her sides. "Stop it now!" 

Her words had all the effect of feather darts, and she ran after them as they zigzagged towards Sango's village. Towards the outer walls. Towards the graveyard. 

"Stop them, Kagome!" Shippo cried. "Use your powers!" 

"I don't want to kill them!" Kagome returned, trotting after the fighting males regardless. With the help of his staff, Miroku raised himself up, leaning heavily on it for support. 

"If Sesshoumaru is here, then he can resurrect-"

"It doesn't matter!" Kagome tossed over her shoulder, wondering why they couldn't understand that she, quite simply, didn't want to kill anyone. Even if they _could_ be resurrected a second later. 

Miroku and Shippo hobbled after them. Up ahead, the wolf prince was knocked back atop the dirt mounds of the dead, knocking over several holy chimes in the process. He bounced twice, landing in a crouch. The look on his face was feral. Crazed. And so was Inuyasha's. 

Before he could retaliate, Inuyasha had Tetsusaiga unsheathed, and anchored above his head. "_KAZE_…"

"Don't do it!" Miroku screamed. "You'll desecrate the graves!" 

"_NOO…_"

"Inuyasha! STOP!" Kagome cried out. 

"_KIZ_-"

"HIRAIKOUTSU!" 

Sango's giant boomerang materialized out of nowhere, knocking Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha's hands. Both weapons imbedded themselves in the dirt yards from him, and startled they all turned to see the slayer with a hand to her chest, trying to catch her breath. She looked disheveled, her hair in uncombed disarray about her shoulders, and her attire was nothing more than a hastily-wrapped sleeping gown. 

No sooner had Kagome breathed relief than Kouga, who was still on a rampage, sprung from where he was at Inuyasha, kicking up dirt and ornaments alike. "I'LL KILL YOU-!"

But a powerful punch to his face sent him sprawling, and standing where he had been was none other Sesshoumaru. The demon lord's brows were furrowed in the center in acute aggravation, his hands uncurling at his sides. He was shirtless, also in a state of disarray. 

"Are your entrances here always this destructive?" he asked in a smooth, but condescending calm, glaring at both the offending males. 

Inuyasha frowned back at him, "Since when do _you_ care about the welfare of a human village?" Without waiting for an answer, the hanyou tossed a questioning glance at Sango. "Is he still making you babysit his human brat?" 

As though in answer, Rin and Kohaku came running up, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, halting at the edge of the burial ground. 

Kagome opened her mouth to scold Inuyasha for referring to young Rin so, but her attention was diverted by Kouga. He'd come to a tumbling stop nearby and was leaning up on his elbows, gathering himself for another attack. Without skipping a beat, she ran over to the fallen prince and bracketed him down. "Enough, Kouga-kun," she insisted under hushed tones. "The differences between you two can't be solved by violence." 

He tried to pull away, but she held firm. His rage quickly ebbed out of his system, and with a defeated sigh, he relaxed against her, tossing a stressed glanced over his shoulder. "Kagome. Things are happening at the mountain. I need you-"

"And you should know that I'll help you in any way I can, Kouga-kun. Just be patient until we can talk. Understand?" 

"SANGO!" Shippo cried and bounced over to their friend. The earlier tension forgotten, Sango smiled hugely when she saw the cub, and opened her arms out to catch him. He slammed into her, knocking her back. 

"I've missed you so much!" he squealed, eliciting a grateful chuckle from the demon slayer. "It's like I-" he paused. Froze. Pulled back slowly. 

"Shippo?" 

The kitsune's nose twitched, and his jaw dropped. He looked at Sesshoumaru and wailed. 

Sango's smile faded at his stunned outburst, and a flush tinged her cheeks. Shippo collapsed on her, and pounded her shoulders with his fists. "Oh, Sango Sango Sango! But he's a monster!" 

Kagome blinked confusion. _Huh?_

"What's the problem, brat?" Inuyasha asked curiously, inching towards them. And then it was his turn to pause. Go rigid. Sniff at the air. Then, with an alarmed gasp, the hanyou jumped back, his gaze darting frantically from slayer to brother. "_Kuso…!_" he hissed. 

"Something's happened…" Miroku stated matter-of-factly, hobbling up to Kagome and Kouga. "Why are they acting so strange?" 

Kagome shrugged, wondering the same thing. "I don't-"

"It's the taiji and the demon lord," Kouga stated as he sat up and inhaled deeply at the air around them. Whatever it was had even distracted _him_. His dark expression was replaced with one of intrigue. Almost amusement. "Hn. Looks like we interrupted something…"

Kagome quirked her brow. "Interrupted what?" 

A hissing intake of breath startled her, and she looked at Miroku, who for all the world looked like he'd just swallowed a bug. 

"_Oh_…" the blood drained from his face. "Oh _gods…_" The strength left his legs, and he plunked down on his rump, stupefied. "You've got to be kidding me…" 

"What!?" Kagome asked. 

Miroku opened and shut his mouth mutely, dazed beyond coherence. Growing impatient, Kagome looked back and noticed some silent communication going on between Sango and Sesshoumaru. Several tense seconds passed. Finally, the taiji shrugged and nodded at the youkai lord, who then crossed the distance between them and stood by her. His presence repelled Shippo, who promptly dropped from Sango's arms and scurried back against Inuyasha's calves. 

Sango's flush darkened, and Sesshoumaru eyed his brother evenly as he placed his hand on the slayer's shoulder. A small smirk curled his lips. 

Seeing them like that, together, both in varying degrees of disarray… Kagome shook her head. As preposterous as it sounded, she couldn't deny the sudden notion that Sango and Sesshoumaru would make a really…

"So…I wasn't evil enough?" Miroku began talking to himself. 

_cute…_

"Or was it his mystery… Do I lack mystery?" 

_couple…!_

"Hair. Maybe it's the hair-"

"Aah!!" Kagome squeaked, and covered her mouth in shocked disbelief as it finally sank in. 

Miroku hung his head pitifully, his voice catching, "I knew it was the hair. Damn my luck..."

"They're together?" she muffled, her eyelids stretching over bulging eyes. "Sango and Sesshoumaru are…are…"

"Oh yes." Kouga snorted, now more amused than anything. "They were _together_ when we arrived." 

Inuyasha finally regained enough composure to give voice to the accusation. "UGH! Sango!" he grimaced in horrified denial, and spat at the ground. "You let him touch you?? Have you forgotten who he is!?" 

"Oh, SANGO!" Shippo cried and threw himself in the dirt. "You've let yourself be beguiled by that devil--!"

Sango stiffened. "It's not like that-"

"That butcher-of-humans! That power hungry tyrant!" 

"Shippo--"

"That jealous, kin-hater who tried to kill his only brother over a STUPID SWORD!" 

"SHIPPO!" Sango cried, and barred an arm across Sesshoumaru's chest, whose smirk had peeled down into a threatening snarl. "It's not like that. We're…" she swallowed, and took a deep breath, "we're _married_." 

Married. 

_One…_

Two…

Three seconds it took to penetrate, at which point Shippo choked. Inuyasha swore. And even Miroku looked as though he'd bitten into something vile, too polite to spit it out. 

But Kagome felt the first flutterings of joy for their friend. She looked at Sango standing there, with _him_. Sesshoumaru. The being who'd rescued her from the realm, and brought Kohaku back to life. 

Somewhere along the line they'd fallen in love. She could see it now, the way he stood possessively by her, willing to take on the world to defend what they had. _I can relate to that_, she thought ruefully as she glanced at the sputtering hanyou. _ To hell with the taboo of an interspecies marriage. And darn it all if they don't belong together… _

A grin tweaked the corners of Kagome's lips, and she stood to her feet. "Congratulations," she said, earning the stunned stares of everyone except Kouga. "I'm happy for the both of you!" 

Sesshoumaru's fierce, amber eyes rested on her, no doubt gauging her for sincerity, while Sango smiled appreciation. "Thank you, Kagome-chan." 

She nodded happily, feeling the tension begin to dissipate. Oh, it would be an awkward adjustment, especially for Inuyasha, but what better way to cement an amiable respect between the two brothers? 

A firm tug on her hand made her look up at Kouga, who was pulling her near him with an uncharacteristic urgency. "You've done well at diffusing the situation here, my lady, but I have to ask you to leave with me. Now." 

"Uh…" she fumbled over an inarticulate response, trying to disentangle her fingers from his. "Kouga-kun, I told you it doesn't work like that." 

A pained expression crossed his face. "Mm. You did. And I would have come sooner to…" he frowned, trying to remember the term, "_date_ with you. But my people are on the verge of extinction, and they-"

"Get your filthy paws off her!" 

All projection of chivalry dropped at the sound of Inuyasha's voice. Kouga flashed his fangs, clenched his fists and squared off with the hanyou. It was scary how quickly he switched gears. 

"You want some more, mut!?" he screamed back, a feral ferocity in his eyes. Kagome knew she had to tell Kouga. Tell him that she was with Inuyasha, now and forever. And it became increasingly clear that she had to do it immediately. 

Out of habit, Miroku shuffled over to divert Inuyasha as Kagome tried to distract the prince. 

"Kouga-kun," she said, grabbing his wrist. His muscles were so knotted, she almost pulled her hand back. "Kouga! Listen to me-"

"Meddlesome little half-breed runt. I should've-"

"Kouga--" 

"Ripped his head off and fed his innards to the-"

"KOUGA!" she screamed, noticing too late that her augmented powers slipped out again. She hated it when that happened, because it was still so hard to control - a fact that was painstakingly manifest as her aura slammed into the unsuspecting wolf prince, and knocked him off his feet…

And on his ass….

Ten yards away. 

Through an undignified tangling of black hair, sun-bronzed limbs, and wolf fur - two large cerulean irises blinked back at her in stupefied astonishment. 

"HA! Take _that_ wolf breath!" The insult was followed by bratty sniggering. Kagome glared at her boyfriend, who sobered up immediately under her withering gaze. 

"Go inside the village Inuyasha. I need to talk to Kouga-kun. Alone." 

He opened his mouth to protest, when Miroku whacked him upside the head with his staff. It was uncharacteristically harsh of the monk, but Kagome figured his nerves were still raw from A) being knocked down by a full-blooded wolf youkai just minutes earlier, and B) seeing that the woman of his dreams had preferred a notorious demon lord over him. 

A little abrasive discipline was to be expected. As Inuyasha nursed the back of his head and spun around angrily, Miroku frowned disapproval at him. 

"Idiot. Do you honestly think she's going to run off with him?" he sighed and shook his head. "Leave them be for the few moments it takes for her to tell him where her heart lies. And then you'll never see Kouga again." 

Inuyasha scowled dubiously at him, and then back at Kagome. His lip twitched as he watched a dazed Kouga recover from Kagome's attack. 

"If he so much as touches-"

"You can trust me, Inuyasha," Kagome said firmly, recalling with a mental twinge that the last time she'd been alone with the wolf prince, he'd kissed her. Naturally, Inuyasha was more than a little reluctant to leave them together. 

"But-"

"_Inuyasha,_" came Sesshoumaru's stern, staccato tone. They all turned to look at the demon lord who cocked his head directionally towards the village. There was no room for argument in his face, and huffing defeat, Inuyasha stomped off, muttering obscenities as he went. 

Sango smiled rueful encouragement at Kagome before she gathered up Shippo and motioned to Rin and Kohaku to follow. And Kagome found herself alone. At last. With her most passionate suitor. 

_Oh, boy…_ She winced internally. Why couldn't he be like Hojo, and just give up eventually? As she looked at him now, Kagome knew Kouga wasn't a problem she could just ignore, hoping he'd go away. He wouldn't. Which meant she had to hurt his feelings. 

And that just sucked. 

"Kouga-kun--," she said painstakingly as she walked over to him, "Forgive me. I didn't mean to do that." 

He'd relaxed only slightly now that everyone had left, and got to his feet, dusting off. "You're powerful," he said, a hint of pride in his tone, "And I wouldn't have you any other way." 

"Yeah," she chewed her lip, "About that…"

"Kagome," he breathed, his brows knotted, his eyes intense. He seemed more than just anxious. The wolf prince was desperate. "I've been patient. But patience isn't going to help me with what lies ahead for my people. We're losing territory, and…and…" he sighed frustration, and looked down. "I can't wait any longer. My…tribe…needs you." 

Kagome frowned. She'd never seen him like this. Kouga never shrank from eye contact with anyone. Especially her. "Your tribe?" 

He flinched, hearing the words said back. It made her wonder what it was that he wasn't saying. Wasn't showing. "Are they in troub-"

"Gah! _I_ need you," he made a fist and finally locked stares with her through the shadows of his bangs. She could have sworn his eyes were glowing. And more, she saw what it was he'd been hiding. For the first time since she met him, the cocky, arrogant prince seemed unsure of himself. Conflicted. 

"Kouga-kun," she said, feeling a rush of sympathy. Seeing such a stalwart, proud male on the verge of breaking was disheartening. No matter the cause. Kagome leaned towards him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "What's been happening?" 

"I'll tell you on the way," he said, startling her by swooping her up in his arms. "It's been a long three months, and there's careful planning ahead for what's left of my tribe-"

"I can't go with you," she said in a rush, realizing that if she didn't speak soon, he'd have her all the way back to his mountain before she finished explaining things. 

"What do you mean?" His expression changed slightly, and Kagome thought she saw a hint of dread crease his eyes. 

"Put me down, Kouga." 

He hesitated. Pursed his lips. Then with great reluctance he let her legs drop, but kept a solid arm curled around her back. Kagome politely braced her hands up against his chest, trying to put a more comfortable distance between them. 

She sighed heavily, hating this. He'd been so good to her. And loyal. For a moment, she regretted that it was Inuyasha who had her heart. But love had its own free agency, and her bond with the hanyou was unbreakable. Pure. Right. 

"I belong with Inuyasha-"

That elicited an immediate grimace. "That cheating cur who preferred a dead miko over a living you!?" His teeth flashed. "How could a woman so amazing and," his eyes darted to her hair, her face, her body, "and _captivating_ have such a low sense of self worth? To settle for-"

"I was wrong," she said, recalling some of her last words to the prince. "I know what I said, but I was wrong. He loves me, Kouga. And I…" she swallowed, scrunched her face in apology, and forced herself to look him in the eyes. "And I love him." 

The words hit him with the force of a blow, and he released her, staggering backwards. "But you said…I…I thought…" he shook his head in denial. "…because we kissed, that…" His hand tightened into a fist as he fought the hurt of her rejection with a more familiar sentiment. 

Rage. 

The Moreno demon snarled, and glared daggers at the village. "If he's _dead_, then you can let yourself love me-"

"Killing him won't change my feelings, Kouga. You have to understand that," she pled, growing nervous at the irrational fire in his eyes. 

"Time and distance heal everything Kagome," he said passionately, grabbing her shoulders. "Even the pain of a past love. It'd only take you a year. Maybe two at most to get over him once he's gone." 

"Stop talking like that!" she yelled, each word making him flinch. "I can't be with you. Now or ever. My heart won't let me!" 

His eyes twitched, his jaw muscles spasmed…

"My heart won't let me," she said again, watching in mixed relief as morbid acceptance finally began to relax his face. His grip lessened, shoulders sagged, his mouth parting over some unfinished denial…

"I'm sorry." 

Strained silence followed until he hissed softly and covered his eyes with his hand. She got the impression that there was more at stake here than just his obsession with her. Something about the rejection was complicating his life, making him vulnerable. Perhaps it had something to do with his clan…

"If there's another way I can help you, Kouga-kun, I will. We're still friends…" 

His breath escaped in a mirthless chuckle at that. More self-pitying than bitter. He sighed heavily, and after a moment, rested a warm hand affectionately against her neck. His face was unbearably troubled, but a small sad smile lifted the corners of his lips, regardless. "Unfortunately, your friendship won't spare me from being bred like a damn steed," he said quietly. 

She startled as he dropped to one knee in the dirt, and bowed his head. Grabbing her hand, he rested it against his brow. "This pains me more than you can imagine," he breathed. Somehow, she believed him. 

A wayward evening breeze whispered off in the distance, and Kagome listened absently as it rustled through the thatched roofs and bamboo walls of the village. Then it whipped its way through the dangling chimes of the graveyard and tree branches until it finally swept over Kagome and Kouga like a warm shower. 

Kouga's raven ponytail flopped to the side from the force of it, and his bangs fluttered about his brow. A split second later he gasped. His head snapped up. The wolf prince jumped to his feet, his eyes wide and frenzied as he stared at the village. 

Kagome stepped back, concerned. "What is it?" 

His nose twitched. "Naraku…?" he whispered to himself in perplexed alarm. 

"What?" 

"No. Not Naraku.." He tested the air again, and then made a small noise of stunned appall. "Kagura. It's Kagura's scent!" 

Kagome frowned. "Kagura?" 

He was trembling. His hands clenched into fists. Suddenly, Kagome ceased to exist, and she mutely watched as he bolted towards the village. Before he could enter, however, Sesshoumaru whipped around the wall, and blocked him. 

The demon lord's timing was either perfect, or he was keeping an eye on them to make sure Kouga didn't try anything. Kagome assumed it was the latter, perhaps at Sango's request, so they could more easily keep Inuyasha at a distance. 

"Her stench is in the wind, dog demon!" Kouga all but barked. 

Sesshoumaru's face remained impassive. "She was here." 

"WHEN!?" 

"This morning." 

Kagome's vision blurred momentarily, and she saw a red aura swirl up and kick around Kouga like a whirlwind of bad omen. Yet another talent she'd picked up from being fused with the Shikon no Tama. 

"What is she planning!?" 

Sesshoumaru's great golden orbs narrowed in scrutiny. "It is her business. You can ask her yourself." 

"Which direction-"

"Southeast." 

Kouga's head whipped around. He seemed conflicted. Torn. For all his earlier hurry, Kagome wondered if he would sacrifice the need to protect his living for a chance to avenge his dead. Dangling the carrot of Kagura in front of his face was a more powerful distraction than even Kagome, herself. 

So it was, that she wasn't surprised one bit as he tossed a final glance of goodbye at her over his shoulder, and sprung off like a cheetah after a gazelle into the woods. 

Kagome stared a moment longer after he disappeared, considering his bravery. His passion. His unwavering loyalty to his fallen comrades…

_May God protect you in all of your endeavors, Kouga-kun, and find you someone who is not only worth your love, my friend, but who can return it. _

Tenfold. 

* * *

Apparently, Kagome wasn't the only one impressed by the wolf prince's intensity, and passion. Unbeknownst to them, a small elderly flea youkai hopped after Kouga with a renewed sense of purpose. The lad's need was obvious. And since she couldn't fix her own problems, maybe she could meddle with his... 

* * *

**_Next Chapter_**

** 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 ~ 9 ~ 10 ~ 11 ~ 12 ~ 13 ~ 14 **


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4_**

* * *

Half a night later, Kouga was still running as though the shards had never been ripped from his legs. 

Half a night later, the promise of revenge still burned white hot behind his eyes. 

Half a night later, he was still conjuring up new ways of how she'd die. 

_Kagura…_

He could taste her in the air - a tangy, elemental sweetness that drove him wild for all the wrong reasons. He'd caught it not long after leaving the taiji village, a sign that fate was on his side. 

And he was close. After foraging rivers, cutting through forests, and scurrying his way into a mountain range, the pack leader came to a skidding halt atop a small cliff overlooking a tall-grassed valley, surrounded by towering lands. He inhaled deeply. 

_She's here…_

A good-sized village slept peacefully in the pre-dawn hours, its wooden structures, and thatched roofs illuminated softly by the fading glow of the slivered moon. A stream ran through it. No doubt their water source, and the feint moo of their cattle tickled his ears. 

He scowled at the serenity of the scene. Such a docile setting didn't suit the Wind User. And with humans, no less. She couldn't be in the midst of them. Impossible. 

His eyes blinked up, and scanned the surrounding territory…a batch of forestry at the south end, nearby hills that bordered the valley almost protectively…

_Ah. There…_

It was a small castle. Or a giant shrine, nestled securely in the side of a hill. He'd never cared about humans enough to learn the differences between Lord worship and God worship. Either way, the multi-roomed building had ten times the décor - an entirely different design than the village it looked over. 

And fancy enough to house _her…_ His hands began to tingle, as did the palms of his feet. Had Kouga been in a calmer state of mind, he might have gone out of his way to find out what the hell his sworn enemy was doing in a place like this. 

But somewhere on the way over, the wolf prince had come to the conclusion that everything that was wrong in his life - the state of his tribe's territories, resorting to polygamy, even Kagome's - he winced - _Kagome's rejection_ - were somehow all Kagura's fault. And the additional anxieties funneled neatly down into a concentration of bloodlust that doubled his strength. His rage. 

Wasting no more time, he lunged off the cliff. The wind whistled angrily in his ears as he cut through it, and the ground crunched when he hit. The tall grass ripped at his feet as he raced forward, while field moths fluttered annoyingly in his eyes. It was as though the land itself were protesting his arrival here. 

As though the land itself had a say in the matter. 

Somehow, his presence was made known, because within moments _she_ came out of the building before he even reached it. The bane of his existence stood, a figure of soft colors against the black shadows of her residence. Deceptively soft. But he knew better. He swore under his breath for having lost his element of surprise. Not to mention, her sudden nearness nearly pushed him beyond coherence. Pretty, lilac kimono, cream sash, perfectly styled hair… And her weapon - that cursed fan - splayed as naturally in her hand as leaves on a tree. She was the same. 

He slowed. _Almost…_

The face that had gleefully laughed at his expression when she threw the corpses of his own men at him, the face that had mocked his attempts at retribution _every time_! - the face that plagued his very nightmares - was now frowning at his approach, those giant crimson irises narrowed in nothing more than perplexed annoyance. 

Where was the customary smirk? The amused glint in her eye that she'd get every time they fought? Where was the sick delight she took in his presence, if only because she enjoyed the prospect of torturing him to death? 

"How did you find me?" she asked with a hint of reprimand in her voice, as though he were nothing more than a child who'd stumbled upon his mother's jewelry cache. 

A fair question, one he decided to answer with violence. Kouga sped up, his fist cocked back. "You thought you could hide from me _forever_!?"

She hissed and leapt left, sweeping the fan between them. A wall of wind slammed into Kouga, knocking him back before his forward momentum carried him crashing through her walls. 

He flipped mid-air, and landed on all fours in the dirt, glaring at her through sweat-drenched bangs. "Don't insult me, wench." 

"You insult yourself by obsessing over something you can do nothing about," she said evenly. "Don't you have a tribe you're supposed to be taking care of, wolf boy?" 

"My _tribe!?_" his jaw muscles jumped, and a lump formed in his throat. "You mean the smattering of warriors who stayed behind on the day of your bloody massacre? Or were you referring to the heartbroken widows, or perhaps the _young pups_, who will never see their fathers again because you killed them? Tell me, Kagura! Which is it?" 

She pursed her lips, her brow furrowing slightly. "What's done is done-"

"No! Nothing is done until you're dead," he said as he began to circle her, his trembling hands curling into claws. His next words were strained. Anguished. "I still hear their _voices_, you know, crying out to me from the dust. Demanding retribution. Demanding JUSTICE!" He sprung again…

Only to be caught up in a sudden biting tornado that spun him several feet in the air. His limbs instinctively scrambled for purchase. 

"Dammit Kouga," her words dripped with frustration, carrying up to him as his world spun. "Go HOME. Your revenge against me is a hopeless quest. Or didn't I make that obvious the last four times I nearly killed you?" 

He growled. _Arrogant hellcat…_ Tucking his limbs in, he hooked his arm on a current within the whirlwind, and it catapulted him out. He cut through the air, landing in a crouch not far from her castle. 

"How dare you talk to me like that," he seethed, and this time when he lunged at her, she didn't have time to throw him back. He swung at her, kicked at her, his limbs lancing out so quickly that even Kouga was only half aware of where they were. 

But damn, she was fast. He thought she'd be nothing once he got within the circumference of that blasted fan, but the vixen dodged, parried, and ducked as quickly as he'd ever seen. Her defense was nearly perfect. 

But that was a growing problem, he realized. _Her defense…_ It was hard to maintain this kind of intensity when his life wasn't threatened.

"FIGHT ME!" he screamed, throwing another punch at her abdomen. 

Kagura dodged, but his knuckles still grazed her elbow. She gasped, and flipped back onto her feather, which ascended her safely out of his reach. And then she had the nerve to scowl down at him as though he were nothing more than a child throwing a temper tantrum. 

Kouga swore. "Don't you run away from me!" he screamed, secretly wondering where her Wind Blades were. Or the Twisting Tornado Attack that had bested him so many times before… 

"I'm not running away." 

"You're not fighting back!" 

Something crossed her face. Something strained. But she quickly regained composure, making Kouga ponder whether he saw the shift in expression at all. "And you're complaining?" 

His response caught in his throat. He blinked up at her. She had a point. If all he sought was her death, then strategically, he should have been rejoicing. A foe that didn't fight back would be easier to defeat. 

He didn't like this new insight. Not one bit. _I'll kill her_, he reaffirmed heatedly before he lost momentum. _The bitch could stand still for all I care, and I'd still take her down. _ "Get down here," he seethted. 

"Leave," she responded. 

"I won't." 

"You will." 

His already frayed nerves nearly snapped. Too much had happened to him in the past day. He'd lost some of his tribe's territory, he'd lost his woman, and to top it off, he finally faced off with one he hated as much as Naraku, only to find that she wasn't what he remembered. 

What he needed her to still be. 

_Kami…_ his knees grew weak at the unexpected realization. _Is that it?_

Suddenly, something sharp got his full attention. He gasped, and looked down to see a small arrow imbedded in his thigh. _What the…!?_ He looked in the direction from which it came to see nothing more than a child. A human child, with a small bow held tightly in her white-knuckled fist. Couldn't have been more than eight. The wind tugged lightly at her scraggly hair, and long nightgown, and the spare evening light gave her the look of an apparition. She almost seemed surreal. 

Or maybe it was just the situation. Kouga gawked at her incredulously, and yanked the arrow out of his leg, holding it up demonstrably. "Are you so anxious to die, brat!?" 

She was looking at him with a mixed expression of apprehensive anger. "You l-l-leave the Fujin no kami alone. Sh-sh-sh," she bowed her head, and swallowed past the anxiety-induced stuttering. "She's our p-protector. Our friend." 

Kouga nearly fell over. "Friend!?" His head yanked in Kagura's direction. "Of a _human village_!?"

She ignored him, worrying over the girl. "Get back, child!" she ordered harshly. "GO!" 

The girl hesitated, and an idea occurred to Kouga through the chaos of his confusion. Not taking the time to think it out, he lunged at the girl. Perhaps he could force Kagura into fighting him, and then he could kill her fair and square, without any of this 'all defense, no offense' nonsense. 

The girl squealed as he neared, and outright screamed when he grabbed her by the neck. "How many of these do I need to kill, Kagura, before you change your mind about fighting me, eh?" he called up haughtily, knowing the second the words left his mouth that he wouldn't be able to carry through with it. Perhaps it was Kagome's influence, but the wolf prince no longer had it in him to kill innocent beings. Even humans were still self-aware. 

Hopefully she would buy his bluff. He let his nails flex against the skin of the child's fragile neck, eliciting another squeal. 

He saw Kagura's jaw muscles twitch. She leaned as far over her feather as far as she could without falling off, her hands clenched tightly in its fibers. Her inner conflict was nearly palpable. 

The girl whimpered against Kouga's hand on her throat, and he pegged his rival with a stare. "What'll it be?" 

Finally, she swore, and descended down and in one swift movement, she shrank the feather and stuck it back in her hair, landing daintily on her feet. "You're a suicidal fool." 

Kouga smirked. "Is that a yes?" 

She rolled her eyes. 

Kouga let the girl go, and the child scurried away from him. He didn't miss Kagura's discreet glance to make sure the kid escaped. Again, he found himself asking why the hell she would care. The female had no alliances. A self-serving, blood thirsty devil's spawn. This out-of-character behavior made him uneasy. As uneasy as the fact that she'd also gone out of her way to bring him back to his mountain when he was wounded three months ago. 

To bat it away, he conjured up memories - _those_ memories. His comrades, who'd been joking and hanging with him just a day before - butchered, their eyes rolled eerily back up in their skulls, as their mutilated bodies…

_Agh…_ His eyes stung, and he swallowed past the lump in his throat. His fire refueled, he cracked his knuckles, and motioned for her to make the first move. 

A hint of her former self flitted across her face, one corner of her mouth curling up in an arrogant sneer. Kouga found himself oddly relieved. _THERE'S the demon I came to destroy. Keep that face on, wench, and this shouldn't take long…_

She splayed her weapon out in her fingers, swiped the air between them, calling for the Corpse Dance. 

_Corpse dance?_ Kouga looked around. _But where are the…_

He heard the rattling of bones before he saw them. They came from behind the castle, a few dozen armored skeletons like the ones Naraku had utilized to guard his domain. 

Kouga spun around and faced them, "These guys again?" he barked, bracing himself for their attack. There weren't so many, and he could easily take them all out, given enough time…

"I keep some around to serve my purposes," he heard her lilting voice as the small army came at him. He waited for them to separate. To single out and attack him from all angles. 

But they didn't. 

He found himself swept up in their collective clutches, pinned by the sheer force of their numbers. His leg twitched and broke a bone here, and his fist smashed back and shattered a skull there, but it wasn't nearly enough to escape. There must have been fifty hands on him. 

He heard her low chuckling as he hissed and spat at his captors, and looked over to see her standing there, solitary against the wind. 

"Poor, poor Kouga," she mused in that infuriating, mocking tone. "Before I met you, I never knew that leadership was awarded to such brainless creatures. Tell me, if I stood here with a spear in my hands, would you throw yourself on that, too?" 

Still taunting him. He growled and redoubled his efforts to break free of his encasement, but the grip of the undead only tightened.

"May you join your comrades on the other side, prince," Kagura said. "Just remember, you brought this upon yourself." 

Kouga's eyes widened as the panic finally broke through his belligerence. Funny how he'd gotten so good at ignoring it. The Wind User fanned the air. 

"Fujin no Mae."

_Shit!_

A myriad of luminescent wind blades materialized in front of her, swirling towards him. They sliced through the air, little scythes of death. Kouga swore at his own overconfidence, his vision abruptly filled with loved ones, life's shortcomings, his own gruesome death…

A strained cry. The rush of wind against his face. Blades, that should have been slicing through his body were suddenly yanked heavenwards, at the last possible moment, leaving the wolf prince unscathed...

And shocked as hell. 

When the last of them had spun above him, he gawked at her. Kagura's weapon was arced over her head, directing the attack away from him. Her usual reticence had fallen, and for a second, Kouga thought she looked just as surprised as he. 

Panting - apparently the last minute aversion had worn her out considerably - Kagura let her arms fall, and she dropped to her knees, glaring up at him with emotions he couldn't decipher. 

Kouga found his voice, uttering the first conclusion that came to mind. "Are you _possessed!?_"

Her eyes narrowed, and it didn't take a mind-reader to know that she was fed up with his presence. With one last, weary flick of her fan, the body of bones carried him upwards. Away. From this place. From his revenge. 

_No!_ "KAGURA!!" 

"Get on with your life, brat," she cried out after their retreating mass. "And stay the hell out of mine." 

He swore as the valley shrunk below them, but what ailed him most was the fact that she didn't want to kill him. 

_WHY!?_

The wind this high up was nearly suffocating, and the minions of the undead were carrying him North. With the way Kagura had been acting, he wouldn't be surprised if they were ordered to take him all the way back to his mountain. It was maddening - only further chipping away at his resolve to kill her, replacing it with a bitter sort of confused denial, and something else - something he reluctantly admitted was intrigue. 

"Gah!" He struggled, trying to conjure back his hatred. Conjure back his bloodlust. But it was muted out by one of the greatest inner conflicts he'd ever experienced. 

The cold bony fingers responded by piercing his skin and crushing his limbs. He found himself with all the mobile liberty of a bug caught in a spider web. 

An acute sense of betrayal welled up inside of him. Perhaps it was his imagination, but he thought he heard the cries of his fallen comrades howling in the wind, protesting that he'd failed them. That he didn't have it in him to kill their murderer… 

_No!_ He denied, refusing to be swallowed up in the vortex of despair. _I swore I'd avenge your deaths, my brothers, and I will…_

Which meant he had to…

Kouga bit his lower lip. _Transform..._

The prince wasn't afraid of much, but losing himself to the feral instincts of the predator terrified him. After what happened the last time…

He cringed, and pushed away the soul-twisting memories. _I have no choice,_ he admitted reluctantly, gathering up his courage. _If I can't kill her, then the Wolf will…_

He summoned it. 

It awoke. 

His captors fragmented into brittle splinters all about him, decimated by the crackling, destructive aura of the transformation. His screams turned to roars. His body grew. His awareness faded, shackled back by the powerful instincts of the predator. 

As it swallowed him into blackness, he wondered morbidly if the great Kouga, prince of the yourouzoku, would ever be the same after this. 

Somehow, he doubted it. 

* * *

Kagura leaned heavily against the pillar of her residence. She found herself still staring wearily at the night sky, where they'd disappeared over the mountain range, as though expecting him to return any moment. 

"F-Fujin no kami?" came a small voice, and she looked up to see her little vigilante, standing there, bow still in hand. The child's little mouth hung part open in obvious distress. "Did you destroy that bad d-demon?" 

"He's gone," she said, feeling her anxieties lessen in the presence of this innocent. The village had designated the girl to deliver Kagura's offerings over the past three months, and hence they'd formed some sort of bond. "Go back to bed. Before your parents wake up and find you missing." 

The girl toed a pebble in the dirt. "A-alright. B-but if you need any h-help…"

Kagura bit back a laugh, recalling that it was not polite to mock children. It was absurd, this harmless waif of a human thinking she could possibly make a difference against a warrior like Kouga. _So silly_, she mused quietly, taking in the girl's honest eyes, and open expression. _But in a pleasant way. _

"Thank you for your offer," she complied, against her darker nature. "I'll keep you in mind. Now go." 

The smile she received in return seemed to brighten the entire valley, and Kagura felt another odd pang in her chest as she watched the girl skip back to her village. Kanna never smiled like that before she was killed.

Alone, she sank down on her porch, stressing over her latest visitor. "Well that was unexpected," she said to no one in particular, finding herself more emotionally drained than physically. It was always exhausting when one's body was acting without the owner's permission. 

_Kouga… What power do you have over me that I can't kill you?_

She couldn't figure out where it came from - that desperate panic that made her avert her blades before they could hurt him. A big part of her didn't want to know, either. Just like a big part of her didn't want to know why the faces of her victims were always on the edge of her mind, like a never ending ache. Ever since her liberation… 

And Kouga - especially Kouga - was the face she remembered most vividly. Most often. Every colorful expression, every fluctuation of his voice, the intensity of those angry, cerulean eyes… 

Perhaps she shouldn't have spent so much time staring at it when she carried him back to his mountain. 

Kagura sighed. Living here, watching this community of humans so closely, the Wind User realized now what she'd done to him. Comprehended it on some small level. Problem was, she wasn't proud of it anymore. Those memories made her cringe instead of laugh. She'd gotten so fed up with the constant, nagging sentiments associated with his face, that she'd even sought out Sesshoumaru, to-

_Enough_, she told herself. _Now isn't the time for self-analysis. I need a plan for when he comes back._ She knew he was going to return, and probably the very moment her minions set him down. The annoying prince would plague her as long as they were both alive, which meant she needed to figure out a remedy that didn't end up with one or both of their deaths. _Stubborn little--_

A roar sounded in the distance. Kagura froze. Listened. It sounded again, thunderous and wet like a giant waterfall. Or an earthquake during a storm. And it was getting closer. 

_What…!?_

Its deep, reverberating echo ricocheted all the way through the mountain range, and trembled within the valley. Whatever was coming, it was huge. A sick feeling lodged in her gut. She tossed a worried glance towards the village, to see the first smattering of humans peeking out of their doorways. 

Then in her peripheral vision, she saw it. A giant, canine shadow that hopped up on the cliff overlooking the valley. It was massive…monstrous…silhouetted pitch black against the star-studded sky. Its hackles rose, pulsating with each gravelly pant, and just as she wondered which family of youkai it belonged to, the thing threw back its head and howled. 

_A wolf._

The sound was unbearable, even the villagers' screams being drowned out by it. Kagura herself clapped her hands over her ears, feeling it penetrate all the way to her toes. But she didn't look away. Couldn't. Despite the promising feast of an entire human village, the creature's narrow-eyed glare was fixed on just one person. 

Her. 

And it was then that the dread familiarity registered. Its eyes, vibrant, ridiculously blue, shining out from its obsidian form like lanterns in the dead of night knew her. And she knew them... 

She staggered backwards, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. _Kouga!_

With a menacing snarl, the magnificent and powerful beast lunged at her. As Kagura readied her weapon, she recognized something in the wolf prince's half-crazed eyes that she'd never seen before. 

Her death. 

* * *

_Stop…_

Hunger. Insatiable, maddening, mind-numbing…

_Stop…_

Just seeing their scurrying forms made him salivate. He cornered them. Sneered. Leaned down, and opened his jaws…

_STOP!!_

And pulled back. The Wolf resisted, denied him control. But with a will born of desperation, Kouga forced his way back to the forefront of his mind. He felt the transformation begin before he'd even told his body to do so. The Wolf was too much for his consciousness alone to maintain, and he shuddered inwardly as he shrank. Condensed. Down back to his humanoid form. 

He uncurled himself from the fetal position with a grimace. His limbs felt stiff. Exhausted. But the first emotion that filled him was fear. Fear that he'd done something evil. The scent of blood filled his nostrils, and Kouga peeked his eyes open. Cattle lay strewn about, some partially eaten, some merely swatted aside. And within his range, and too close for comfort was a handful of gawking humans - some crying, some wounded, all afraid. 

But none dead. 

He felt a small ounce of relief. After all, it meant he was able to control the beast - regaining control right after his darker nature had accomplished its one directive. 

_Kagura…_

His head snapped up, and he looked around. She was dead. Had to be, or else the Wolf wouldn't have gone on to the villagers. A pang in his chest made him wince. He frowned. 

_What's this…?_

He should have felt contented. Satisfied, that his brethren had finally been avenged. But his heart was still laden. Almost sad. 

It didn't make sense. The mumblings of the humans drew his attention, and he angrily pushed the odd sentiments aside. Kouga stood abruptly, tossing warning glances at the few villagers stupid enough to advance on him. 

"Be grateful, lesser creatures," he bellowed out. "I've decided to spare you." With that, he marched through them, even though all he wanted to do was sit and sleep. He had to find her body. 

_Her body…_

Kouga flinched internally as his eyes scanned the ruins of her castle. He normally would have crossed the distance by running, not having the patience to walk. But his feet felt unusually heavy, slowing his pace. Wisely, the humans stayed behind, and when he reached perimeter of the stone and wood debris he saw the first sign of the Wind User's demise. 

Her smashed fan. 

It was broken. Splintered beyond repair. Kouga battled with an uneasy wave of _something,_, and kept looking. The whole area was drenched in the scent of her blood, and he had to rely on his sight to find…

_There…_

A crimson trail smeared the ground to his left. Squashing away a sudden rush of weird, unmanageable reservations, he pragmatically walked alongside it until he came upon a delicate, bloodied arm poking through the rubble. Kouga took a deep breath. 

Leaning down, he slowly removed the debris until he saw her legs. Her torso. Her face…

_That face…_ Once so pretty, so porcelain, now in death was disfigured with dark contusions and cuts. Her hair - always shiny and styled to perfection was sticking to her scalp and neck in tangled clumps, having been ripped from its barrette. And the kimono, with its lilac colors and soft material, ruined with blotches of her own blood. Torn to shreds where the canines of the Wolf had punctured the material, and the body within…

She was mangled. He felt a moment's remorse, and wondered if he would have felt better about the victory had he been able to destroy Kagura without marring her inherent prettiness. 

_No matter_, he told himself. _It is finished_, and then soberly added out loud, "You may rest in peace now, my brothers." 

Unbidden, a memory flitted across his mind from earlier that evening of Kagura's irritated expression, coupled with her confusing behavior in refusing to kill him. And those words - her infuriating words, having the audacity to insist he just 'go home'. 

"You knew I couldn't do that," he whispered through the tightness of his throat, finding himself crouching down next to her corpse. His hand absently reached out and peeled a blood-soaked lock of hair away from her swollen cheek. _Yeah,_ he reaffirmed with mixed emotions. _Damn shame I couldn't have just snatched your soul from your body._

Something pulsated against his palm. Kouga froze. It happened again, a warm puff of air exhaling from her mouth. He gasped and rolled back on his heels. 

_She's alive!?_

As though in answer, her eyelids fluttered, and a barely audible, but pain-filled moan trickled off her lips. Kouga choked. 

_The Wolf stopped itself before it killed you!?_ he stammered internally. _Its only directive WAS to kill you. YOU! The butcher of my people!_

Completely stupefied, Kouga just gaped at her unconscious form. A small whimper sounded in his throat, and he stood to his feet in shocked denial. "This is impossible…"

He began to pace, not taking his eyes off of his victim. He had to do something. Finish it. Like he'd sworn. On the about face, he turned and lifted his heel over her skull. 

And stiffened. He ordered his limb to crush her head, but the disobedient lump of flesh just hovered there, inches from its goal, refusing to take her life. 

"Gah!" he kicked out, and sent a pile of debris shattering up in the air. Kouga had never felt so conflicted in all his life, the inner turmoil making him want to go on a rampage, tear through trees, storm through villages…

Do anything but kill _her…_

"Well if that's the way destiny wants it," he spat, leaning down and curling his arms under her limp form. "Then my tribe can do it." He lifted her against his chest, and stood. "Perhaps you were fated to be ripped to pieces by the nasty claws of 300 angry widows instead." 

The words sounded rational, a solution that made sense to his ridiculous dilemma. So he repeated them like a mantra inside his head as he left the valley and headed home. After all, the sooner he got there, the sooner this madness would end. 

* * *

**_Next Chapter_**

** 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 ~ 9 ~ 10 ~ 11 ~ 12 ~ 13 ~ 14 **


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 5_**

* * *

It was a summer storm - lightning, thunder, obscene amounts of water pouring down from the sky… The long stretch of grassland he traversed was rapidly turning into a lake. Puddles rose everywhere from the abrupt deluge, and even the tallest vegetation was heavy-laden with a pummeling it was never meant to withstand. 

But Kouga kept onward - one exhausted foot splashing down in front of the other, with his free arm shielding his eyes from the pelting droplets. Sure, he'd seen the storm coming. Sure, he could have waited it out in the higher grounds to the West. But these lands were the most direct way back to his mountain. 

And the cargo he was carrying was healing itself. 

Still unconscious, Kagura was slumped limply over his shoulder, her thighs bracketed to his chest. He felt her wounds knitting themselves together through her kimono, and grunted with feelings of unease. Whether it was because he felt guilty for having failed his brethren a fifth time over, or because he'd done so much damage to such a beautiful creature, he didn't know. He didn't _want_ to know. 

This close - hell, he'd never been this close to her before - it was difficult to ignore how alive she was. Warm. Breathing. Still bleeding from wounds he'd inflicted… As though these subtle signs were a testament to a life that was never meant to be snuffed out, despite the fact that she'd earned her death ten times over…

She started to slip off his shoulder again, and he routinely hoisted her back up. Then Kouga did what he'd been doing this entire trek. Ignored her. Knowing that his mind wasn't the safest place to be right now, he kept it on the setting, focusing on where his next foot would land. 

_Mud puddle… Over it, left. Tall grass. Leap… Cursed water. Slowing me down like that…_

Suddenly, he felt her stomach muscles flex against his shoulder. Her thighs tensed. He swallowed, doubly distressed. _Shit. She's conscious…_

With his next jarring footstep, she gasped convulsively, and clawed her nails into his fur wrapping. Damn near punctured all the way through to his ass. 

"Let go," he growled as he leapt over a rock. The impact when he landed sent his shoulder digging anew into her open wounds, and she yelped and tried desperately to push off him. 

But her body was still weak, and her hands slid off his armor, flopping her weakly against his back. He continued onwards, trying to ignore her occasional reflexive whimpers, and the futile struggling to shift the weight elsewhere besides her tender abdomen. 

_Deal with the pain, Kagura… You've merited it._

But it was then that an abrupt memory of a similar circumstance flooded his mind - only _he'd_ been the wounded one. And contrary to his behavior now, Kagura had carried him home on the comforts of an air born feather - not dragged him back behind it. 

Sighing defeat, he flipped her off his shoulder and draped her over his arms like a wet pelt. 

She startled from the move, her body stiff, her face creased in a grimace of pain… But the heavy rain had washed most the blood from her skin and hair, already making her appearance less traumatized. More like her old self, despite the disarray, he noted. After a few seconds, her expression relaxed, and when her eyelids began to flutter open, he fixed his gaze pointedly ahead. 

"Kouga..." Her voice was hoarse, and there was confusion in it, as though she'd expected someone else. Or some _place_ else. "Where are you…taking…me?" 

"Back to my mountain." 

She flinched, and her breath fluttered against his collar in a way that made his fingers curl and his arms tighten around her. The blood rushing to his face, he forced them to relax. _Agh. Why couldn't you have stayed knocked out, Kagura?_

"Your..._mountain..._" she repeated wearily. Then there was a deliberate pause. "Why?" 

_Why do you still live? Why was I unable to kill you in my demon form? _ He heard the unvoiced questions, and decided to stick with the one he could answer without stammering. Kouga swallowed his earlier discomfort, and donned his usual sneer out of reflex. "I reserved the privilege of killing you for the widows of my tribe," he said, giving her the answer he'd been giving himself for the last several hours. "I thought it would be more appropriate." 

An uncomfortable silence followed, and he figured she was contemplating ways of how they'd take her life. By her following shudder, he assumed she'd come to some of the same conclusions as he. And they weren't pretty. 

"I would have rather you'd done it, wolf boy." 

"That would have been…too easy," he replied stiffly, braving a quick glance down. Her eyes were scrunched shut again, her face leaning inwards, away from the rain. A nearby lightning strike flashed them in a blitzing white-yellow glow, and its following thunder rattled Kouga's joints. 

"You do realize," she managed, hooking her fingers over the top of his armor to better support herself. "The lightning is drawn to your…energy. Your movement." 

"Your point?" he tossed back flippantly. 

She laughed. Or rather choked-laughed. "Still think you're invincible, eh?" 

He pursed his lips, not wholly comfortable with her comment. "I know that fate isn't going to take me from this life until I damn well let it." 

She snorted. Silence followed, and he ran on, willing himself again to think on the rhythmic pace of his stride, or the storm's dynamic display…

"So you're saving me from one death only to drop me into the clutches of a worse one."

He said nothing.

"How _noble..._," her voice dripped with bitterness.

He tensed, resisting a strong urge to drop her in the mud. "You know nothing of nobility."

Three edgy seconds passed between them before she looked away and broke it. "Maybe not, but at least your comrades met a quick end," she retaliated, her voice raising. "Merciful, I'd say, considering they came to attack me anyways."

An angry intake of breath, and he shouted at her. "You lured them there!"

"I held a shikon shard in my possession. That was all."

That made him outright furious, and whether it was because she had the audacity to shift the blame, or that she'd made a point that almost seemed valid, he wasn't sure. "Stop playing the innocent!" he spat. "This world is better off without you in it."

Her bruised brow knotted in the center, and she looked away through her matted hair at some random spot on the horizon. He didn't miss the shimmering in her eyes. "I could have found my place in it."

Kouga flinched. It was time to drop the subject. He was already uncomfortable with the way that last comment had made him feel, cursing inwardly at the knot in his chest. _Stupid, misplaced guilt..._

The grasslands were giving way to sparse patches of foliage, here and there. It wouldn't be long until he was to the higher ground. More importantly - it wouldn't be long before he could dump this deceptively delicate burden off on his tribe, and be done with it. He could feel her chest expand with each troubled breath, and her body instinctively flex every time he leapt. His mind wandered to the way she moved in battle, so graceful. So utterly powerful, yet without a trace of masculinity in her style. She was truly one of a kind.

As his mind wandered, he felt the heat of her crimson eyes burn through his peripheral vision. Immediately uncomfortable, he looked down and snarled at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" 

Her eyes traced his face, earlier conversation forgotten. "Your demon form," she mused in perplexed amazement. "It was...terrifying. Magnificent. I don't understand...why you never used it before..."

"I never needed to, before."

Her following derisive snort - funny how she could make that sound even when her ribs were still broken - showed quite clearly her skepticism. 

Holding on to his lie for a few seconds longer, he finally sighed defeat. It's not like it mattered, anyhow. She was going to die soon anyways... "The Wolf..." he looked ahead, forcing the words out, "is difficult to control." A brief memory of a territorial skirmish, and his brother's corpse twisted his face before he could stop it. "And I _hate_ losing control."

"Hmm..." He knew when she'd redirected her gaze to the landscape - could feel the absence of her stare as clearly as he felt the absence of his skins. "Yes, I imagine you would hate it," she mused quietly. "Though...it must not be too difficult to tame the beast...if you were able to stop it from killing me..."

He stumbled, cursed, and barely regained his footing before they landed outright in the mud. "Stop talking, already!" he barked down at her as she reflexively clung to his neck. "Just touching you is unbearable enough as it is!"

She chuckled at his outburst - a sign that she was feeling better. He picked up his pace. The wolf prince had to hurry home before she healed enough to put up a fight. 

"So tell me--" she began.

"Be quiet."

"Exactly how many people do you plan on punishing for my past crimes?"

"No one. Just you."

"Really? Then what do you plan on doing about the villagers that we're leaving behind?"

He frowned at her. "Those humans?"

A nod. "They face a cyclic threat, you know. One that as their patron god, I was protecting them from. On the moonless nights. A horde of mindless youkai are drawn to their valley..."

He stared down at her. She seemed nonchalant on the surface, even indifferent, but there was a slight crease in her brow that led him to believe that this was more serious to her than she was letting on. "What the hell does that have to do with me?"

She made as if to shrug. "If you don't return in seven days to guard them…when the moon fades…then it'll be the same as if you had killed them yourself." 

Kouga came to an abrupt stop. "Keh! What happens to them after this is none of my doing, and certainly none of my concern." 

The crease in her brow deepened, and she looked away. "Funny how you're so quick to peg me as a murderer, and then you turn right around and sacrifice an entire village of innocents by taking away their protection."

He was stunned speechless, and whether it was by the point she'd made, or the fact that she'd made it at all, he couldn't tell. _Who the hell are you, woman? And what have you done with my old nemesis!?_

"Well," she inhaled deeply, her next words said with a little more venom, "since that's your attitude, then my only advice is that you'd better show up after the slaughter to make sure the demon horde gets them all. Otherwise, you might have a pesky, pain-in-the-ass survivor following you around for the rest of your life, trying to avenge _his_ people."

Kouga choked. His face reddened. "I..._ YOU..._" gasp, swallow, "OF ALL THE--" But his stammering was mercifully silenced when the impossible happened. Absolutely, undeniably unlikely on every level. Absurd in all its improbable probability…

They were struck by lightning. 

* * *

The first thing Kagura was aware of as her mind hovered on the edge of consciousness, was that it was odd to not feel any pain. She reflexively tried to stretch her limbs, and startled. 

_And odder still not to feel anything at all…_

Her mind struggling to alert itself, she drew on what she last remembered - wounded beyond escaping, being carried through a storm to her death. She remembered their conversation. And…were they at his mountain already? Beginning to panic, her other senses rushed to assimilate what they could. She inhaled. 

_Wet unearthed dirt, freshly cut lumber…_

Listened. 

_The soft pitter patter of rain nearby, a faint howl of the wind… But no thunder._

She opened her eyes, and it took several seconds for her vision to adjust through the blur. 

_Fading daylight, bunched leafy tarp and branchy walls of a small, crudely-made lean-to…_

She blinked, and rolled her eyes to the side. 

_And him…_

He was in the shadows, sparse patches of skin and hair reflecting the dim light from outside. His elbows balanced on his knees, while his head hung low between his biceps, and that long thick ponytail blanketed his arm like black dripping oil. He must have sensed her staring, because he lifted his chin slowly until their eyes met. 

His expression… Kagura thought she'd never seen anyone look so miserable. Not that she fared much better… How long had they been here? Half a day, at least, she figured by the fading light. And that's when it dawned on her that they were just on the perimeter of the grasslands. Still nowhere near his mountain. _Odd..._

"I was wondering how long it would take you to come around," he said hoarsely. Wearily. 

"What..." the word hung in her throat, but at least her face muscles were working. "What...happened?"

"Lightning."

It took her a moment to assimilate, and then Kagura rolled her eyes. She refrained from saying, 'I told you so', as it was already obvious. That meant she had nerve damage - which was fine by her. As long as it lasted long enough to keep her from feeling the other wounds as they healed. She snorted at their luck, and her condition. "You've given me quite a beating today, wolf prince," she muttered wryly. _Perhaps now, my mind will finally be purged of your face..._

His demeanor changed abruptly, and he leaned back, studying her. "You...think about me?" 

Kagura felt her cheeks redden. _Did...did I said that last comment out loud?_ By his stunned expression, she figured she must have. But Kagura quickly drew the conclusion that it didn't matter. Not if he planned on killing her anyhow. Without her weapon, she had just about as much chance of escaping him as a head on a stick. With a mental shrug, she responded truthfully. "Every damn day."

She almost enjoyed his reaction then. He was so taken aback, that it seemed as though he forgot he was supposed to hate her, for a moment.

"Wh...why?"

"If I knew the answer to that, then I would have fixed it by now." 

What followed was an awkward silence. Her mind wandered again to their current location, and the light rain that was now nothing more than a thick drizzle. Why hadn't he taken her back to his mountain yet? Confused, and not daring to hope, she asked, "Did the thunder and lightning last all day?" 

He frowned. "It stopped hours ago."

"Then...did the bolt damage your legs?"

His expression changed, catching what she was getting at, and he pursed his lips. "No..."

"Not that I'm complaining, _prince_," she drawled out the honorific mockingly, "but I would have thought we'd be to your territories--"

His head snapped up. "How did you end up as that village's Protector?"

"Wha..." The question caught her completely off guard. "What?"

"You heard me."

Confused, she eyed him suspiciously. Where did this random inquiry come from? And why was it distracting him from his first and foremost objective, which was to kill her? "It's...complicated..." 

"I need to know." 

_Oh?_ Well in that case, maybe she could drag the story out. With any luck, her body would be healed by the time it was over and she could at least _try_ to escape. "The village was being attacked by…weasel demons when I flew over it. Changing territories, I assume, now that Naraku was gone…" She winced. Even now, just saying his name left a bitter taste on her tongue. "It was mindless, pointless slaughter. They weren't even feasting on the humans they'd already killed. It..." she fished for a word, "it _ disgusted_ me, so I stopped them." A brief pause followed. She wasn't sure where to go from there. 

"It disgusted you." 

She said nothing. 

"It was more than that, Kagura," he said, his pitch rising. "Or else you would have just continued on-"

"Their village is sitting directly on top of an old battleground. A _youkai_ battleground." 

She saw him shift in her peripheral vision, his expression incredulous. Any self-aware demon knew that the hordes of brainless, lesser youkai were irrationally drawn to the residual magic of monster remains. 

"Keh. What nonsense. No humans would have survived long enough to set up a village in that valley. Besides, I didn't catch the scent-"

"It's in the soil, Kouga. The battle occurred thousands of years ago. You wouldn't have caught it unless you were looking for it." She waited to see if he'd respond. When he didn't, she continued. "Its aura is subtle - which is why the lesser youkai only catch wind of it when the moonlight isn't there to distract them from it." She didn't have to add, 'or sunlight'. That was a given. Kagura closed her eyes, already weary from the effort of talking. 

"And?"

"And there was a relic that had been protecting them - hiding the valley within a hidden barrier. It was probably enchanted by the first settlers centuries ago," she explained. "During the weasel demons' rampage, it was destroyed. I felt its essence depart from this world, and knew..."

"That doesn't explain why you stayed." 

She sighed. "I thought it did." 

"No." He sat forward, suddenly agitated. "The Kagura I know would have been wasting both human _and_ weasel blood that day, just to decorate the valley with their bodies!" 

She scowled at him. "You're confusing me with my maker." 

"Is there a difference? I can barely tell your stink apart!"

She began to tremble, feeling the sensation quickly return to her limbs. He'd hit a sore point. A _real_ sore point. "I'm not Naraku..." she said shakily.

"You delight in mayhem!" 

"I delight in my freedom! And any circumstance that I find myself being worshiped….adored…given special offerings every day for a task as simple as squashing out a few bugs when the moon goes black - isn't a lifestyle I'm going to discard. Even if it means I live in the presence of lesser beings!" 

He looked troubled. Unbelievably troubled. His mouth worked over unvoiced thoughts, his eyes searching her face. She couldn't tell if he wanted to scream at her or storm out. 

In the strained silence, Kagura noticed that her body had started to tingle - small, smarting pinpricks that went from the base of her neck all the way down to her toes. Her earlier wounds from the Wolf's attack must have healed during the lightning-induced paralysis, as the only thing left in their stead were phantom aches. 

And now that her nerves were healing-

"But..." he ran his hand through his bangs, and then made a fist. "I see it in your eyes, Kagura! When you look at them. When you talk about them..." His teeth grated, and he looked away in exasperation. "It's like you _care..._"

_"Keh_," was her automatic response. But her mind worked over the two words, drawing connections, making sense of things she didn't bother to understand. Like her irrational desire to protect the lesser creatures, or the way she looked forward to seeing the girl child when her offering was delivered... Pity the enlightenment was made bitter by her blaring ignorance. _Damn you, Naraku, and the filtered knowledge you gave me. You taught me all about destroying life, but nothing about living it. _

She was uneasy with the concept of 'caring'. Her mind was still too new and too fresh out of Naraku's womb to embrace sentiments that she was taught to reject. But at least she knew the difference between her instincts and her conditioning. Hell. The two had been doing battle with each other ever since she gained her freedom.

She looked over at Kouga, who was still waiting in a state of pained curiosity, as though needing to know, but afraid to hear her answer. She pursed her lips and locked stares with him. 

"And what if I did?" she answered, "Care."

His face contorted. "You CAN'T care!" he leaned forward on all fours, hovering over her. "You don't have a heart!"

Her jaw dropped, and the abrupt indignance was enough to make her uncooperative limbs cooperate. Kagura sat bolt upright, pushing him back. "No heart? I betrayed my own maker just so I could obtain the damn organ!" 

He hissed denial, and bowed his head in the dirt, holding it in his hands. "Dammit, Kagura. Don't do this to me," he groaned without looking up. "Don't change who you are..."

Her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists, and she quickly forgot who was the stronger, here. "You fool! You actually thought I'd stay the same?? The _same_ enslaved lackey that Naraku controlled? Going on the _same _killing sprees? Hunting the _same_ people?" She swiped at the air in a furious gesture. "I'm my own person now, Kouga! Of course I'm...going to...to..." she stopped. Blinked. Stared at him. And it hit her like an avalanche. "That...that's what this is all about, isn't it?" 

His shoulders tensed, and he peered up at her in an almost dread curiosity. "What..."

"You," she breathed wondering why she hadn't caught it sooner. "You can't bring yourself to kill me because I've changed…"

His face twisted with unease, and he spun his back to her, clasping his hands behind his neck. "Shut up."

"That's why you're taking me back to your mountain, isn't it? So they can do it for you-"

"I can't kill you because you won't fight me!" he hissed at the wall, nowhere near convincingly enough.

Kagura egged him on, confident now that he would spare her life. "Oh, I fought you-"

"Without murderous intent!" 

"You think that would make a difference?" 

He glared at her over his shoulder with enough agitation to spark a fire in wet wood. Then, in answer, he marched over, hooked his arm around her waist, and hoisted her up. Kagura struggled as he stomped out into the rain. But this time, he wasn't heading towards his mountain. "Gah. Kouga! You impulsive, self-deceiving little..." she bit off the invective. "Where are you-"

"To get that damn fan of yours and fix it so you can fight me for real," he said determinedly.

She pounded her fists against his back. "Go ahead! But it won't work, you idiot, because I don't want you to die!" the words came out before she realized she was saying them, a surprise on both their ears. She didn't even know exactly what she meant by them, only that she meant them.

He stiffened, and after a moment of stunned silence he dropped her roughly against a saturated tree. Kagura yelped as he slammed both his fists into its bark on either side of her head, caging her against it. 

"You don't…_understand_," he choked, his teeth clenched behind quivering lips. "Their faces _haunt_ me, Kagura..." His eyes watered, and he bowed his head over her shoulder, trying to hide it. His next words pulsed against her neck. "The way you…_threw_ them at me…with your corpse dance…"

Kouga stopped before his vocal cords could betray him, and with the wolf boy this close, this warm, this broken… She had no defenses against it. None. Her simple concept of revenge was harshly replaced by a merciless reckoning of the whys behind it. That nagging ache that she'd tried so hard to ignore, abruptly swallowed her in a whirlwind of regret. His cursed angst penetrated through her detached exterior, all the way to her core. She gasped from the pain of it, feeling his own loss, his own trauma... The shock of losing so many people he cared about, all at once, and then the horror of fighting their lifeless bodies because she'd forced him to... 

Kagura suddenly felt sick, and whatever emotions filled her at that point succeeded in constricting her throat, and stinging her eyes. A confession fell off her lips before she could stop it. "Dammit, Kouga. I tried to bring them back," she managed in a strangled whisper. "With the dog demon's sword…"

His body went rigid. Wet bangs slid diagonally across her cheek as he lifted his flushed, wet-eyed face to stare openly at hers. "You…_what_?" 

"I tried to bring them back, but their flesh had rotted off their bones. He said it was too _late_…" she hissed through her teeth, this emotion far too much for her face to control.

"_That's_ why you went and saw Sesshoumaru?" he asked shakily, those blue, blue eyes shimmering like the surface of a lake. 

She hesitantly nodded, not wishing to force any more words past that ridiculous lump in her throat. 

His mouth opened and closed twice, fumbling over uncollected thoughts. All that anguish…all that remorse was suddenly redirected at _her_. She didn't know what he was seeing, right then, but one thing was certain - it wasn't the murderous demon that had butchered his men. 

She could feel his stare bore through her eyes and into her soul. He was so close, she had no trouble telling the difference between lightning burns and dirt smudges on his face. And the heat that radiated off his chest, his arms, his legs was overwhelming. Something came over him, right then. Something she didn't recognize. No one had ever _looked_ at her like that before. 

No one had ever made her _feel_ like that before. Her body had a number of unfamiliar reactions to his proximity, all of which were confusing - none of which were unpleasant. 

He leaned forward...he must have, because suddenly she felt his breath on her lips. Their noses rubbed as he tilted his head. Kagura's pulse quickened, her eyelids grew heavy. The skin of her face, her neck, her arms all became hyper sensitive. 

_This is madness!_ she wanted to scream. _Either kill me, or step away. Just don't taunt me with your blasted nearness!_

But what came out was an abrupt whimper…

An abrupt whimper that could have been a slap in the face for the affect it had on him. Kouga's eyes suddenly flung wide, and he shoved off her with a startled cry, holding his hand to his mouth as though she'd just bit him. 

He backed away from her, seemingly terrified, his unsteady feet catching on several roots and mounds. And then, without a word, he turned and ran - straight through the trees, the tall grass and out onto the valley below. Kagura's vision blurred as she watched him go.

_What... What the hell happened just now that shouldn't have?_ She clutched at the sudden ache behind her ribs as her knees grew weak. _And why does it feel like my heart is being crushed between two stones?_

Kagura collapsed back against the tree, and sank down in the dirt. She watched the wolf prince depart with emotions she had no name for, until his dark blur disappeared over the horizon. Then, with more noise between her ears than she could possibly stomach, the element demon dropped her head in her hands, curled up in a ball, and cursed her life. 

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter 6_**

* * *

Kouga ran blindly. 

With his thoughts too frenzied to focus on any particular direction, his body took over. Limbs moved routinely over rough terrain, guided by some instinctual compass that functioned without his awareness. It bore him across the land as he wrestled with his own soul, a carrier to a vast inner struggle that ultimately brought him to his knees, some time around midnight. 

He came crashing down in the - shale, was it? Kouga looked exhaustedly up through heavy bangs at slated debris of an eroding mountainside. _Hn. Shale…_

No one was around, and so he lay there - his heart pounding so thunderously in his head, that it had finally succeeded in drowning out the rest of the noise. And despite his body's recent collapse, he felt a tad saner for it. 

He'd never run himself so close to death before. Like a damn horse. He would have given himself a mental beating for being so careless, but he was already inoculated to that form of self-punishment. After all, he'd been doing it nonstop since he left that valley. 

_And her…_

Kouga grimaced, and turned his full attention to his location, nearly choking when he recognized the smell. Quick to follow were the intense feelings of loss associated with it. His eyes scanned the landscape morbidly until they found the cubbyhole that housed the graves of his family, at which point he glared down at his legs in bitter amusement. 

_Oh, you would bring me here…_

Having not the strength to get up and walk, Kouga crawled on his elbows and knees over to the unmarked earth and knelt respectfully on its perimeter. It still stung at his pride like an old wound that they'd never been given a proper burial. But at the time they'd had too many enemies. Too many who would jump to desecrate the Wolf Lord's grave, and so Kouga - small though he was - had hid them in this place. This rock canyon, which was wetted down with such a heavy smell of damp clay that it masked the scent of their remains almost entirely. 

He absently swept his hand over the dirt, and bowed his head in shame. The self-deprecating words fell like lead weights from his quivering lips. "One would think…that I would be better equipped for this role of _leader_…" his throat constricted, his eyes stung, "…having been raised by such perfect examples of it. Mother. Father…"

He swallowed. Hard. And it all came tumbling out. "Our people are endangered, I'm losing territories to other clans, the woman I love rejected me for another, and now…" his fingers crunched through the top layer of soil, and his voice cracked, "instead of destroying the devilspawn who is responsible for it all, I spared her _life_…"

His brow knotted, and he looked in tormented bafflement at the grave of his long dead brother, the ache in his chest almost more than he could bear. "Even the _Wolf_ would not kill her…!" 

A soft howl of wind blew through the canyon and washed over him. It was unexpectedly warm. Almost caressing. Reminiscent of the encompassing embrace of his proud matriarch. Perhaps that was why the tension in his shoulders lessened right then. Perhaps that was why he was suddenly comfortable enough to analyze the 'moment' he'd had with his nemesis. Out loud. 

"It was…_compassion_," he stammered incredulously. "I saw it in her eyes. And regret. She regretted it." No, he hadn't imagined that last expression on her face. He was sure of it. "And I was already so close… It drew me in…" He stopped. That was the part that scared him the most. That threatened his sanity on so many levels. It was something he'd sooner forget than take the time to understand. 

"I almost kissed her." 

The wind died down, and with it went the illusion of comfort. Kouga shivered at the cold chills that pricked his skin, his sense of self worth almost as low as it had been the day he'd pulled out of his transformation to see his brother dead - by his claws. It left him humble enough to hear the voice that only emerged when he was in such desperate need of counseling. And whether it was just a part of his subconscious, or truly his father's voice, he'd never been sure. But he preferred to think the latter. 

_Get up._

Deep. Baritone. Commanding. "And do what?" he asked miserably. 

_Get up, and lead our people._

It's what he'd been trying to do, hadn't it? "But my heart is a traitorous heart-"

_Wrong. Your heart doled out mercy when justice no longer applied. _

Kouga blinked. "Mercy…" Could it have been so simple? It sounded so much gentler on his ears, so much lighter on his conscience. He may have even bought into the notion, except that, "But my fallen comrades-"

_Killed by a person who no longer exists, Kouga. Let it go…_

"But I made an oath-"

_Let it go._

He wrestled with the directive, but after a long night of trying to deny it, he finally admitted what his subconscious had been trying to tell him all along. He couldn't kill Kagura. 

"So what now…?" he asked the air, hoping against hope that coming to terms with such a blasphemous concept might remove her completely from his thoughts. 

Ironic, it was, that the words of none other than Kagura herself rang back to him. Something she'd snapped at him during their skirmish in her valley. 

_Don't you have a tribe you're supposed to be taking care of, wolf boy?_

His ears twitched at the memory of her voice, and he growled inwardly. She'd said it so flippantly, as though it were as easy as caring for a garden. She didn't comprehend the implications of maintaining territories, of keeping the peace, of polygamy… _Ugh…_ The thought of plural marriage still twisted his innards, and he looked woefully at the graves of his parents, recalling their special companionship. He'd been young, but he'd seen it. The secret smiles, and stolen glances. Enjoying intimacies that were far too special to share with others…

"I wanted that," he uttered, contemplating how he'd always envisioned himself in a similar circumstance. With a similar passion and devotion to his one and only female. "I want it still…"

He was answered with silence, and quickly conceded that what he wanted didn't hold a flame to what he needed to do. The pack leader couldn't let his tribe die out. He'd worked too hard to get them where they were. And Kouga loved his people. He loved the dream of what they could yet become. With a respectful nod to his deceased loved ones, he rose on shaky feet and felt out the direction of his Mountain. 

His sole purpose, from here on out, would be to strengthen and proliferate his living tribe. Kouga just prayed that he'd be able to fixate on that cause as fiercely as he had on the Wind User…

*** * ***

**A FEW DAYS LATER**

"Ugh! Why do I keep getting paired with the ugly ones?" shouted Ginta, his face twisting in revulsion at the last assigned bride. 

Kouga rubbed his temples, resisting a strong urge to smack his comrade for making an already-complicated situation worse. "Idiot. You are my right arm, and thus are being assigned the females of higher status. This set up MUST have structure. It must have order, or it'll backfire completely." 

Hakkaku frowned at the black-inked parchments splayed out between them, his eyes scanning the lists. "I still don't understand why we can't just choose the ones we like-"

That time he couldn't stop himself. Kouga's arm, on a volition of its own, snaked out and bopped his buddy on the noggin. Hakkaku yelped, and nursed the growing lump on his head. Kouga grabbed the parchments in his fist and shook them in his comrades' faces. 

"Do you know how long I've worked over these lists!?" he shouted, having been pouring over them for the past three days, meticulously separating and assigning matches by status, age, personality types… "This isn't about being coddled by multiple females. You have NO idea how thin the balance is between strengthening our tribe, and watching it collapse inward from jealousy and hate. If this set up isn't done right, then it could result in back-stabbing! KIN-slaying! INFANTICIDE!" 

"Aiyee! Alright, Alright!" Ginta whined, having clamped his hands over his ears. "I get it!" 

"You DON'T get it!" Kouga barked. "Increasing your posterity is an assignment! Not a privilege! You are to spend equal amounts of time with each female, regardless your attraction to her. Avoid gossip. Avoid contention. And above all, avoid favorites, or YOU might be the one they find in the morning with a slit throat. Or are you so quick to forget how hot-tempered our women are?" 

"Sir…?" A timid voice sounded behind him. 

"WHAT!?" Kouga snarled over his shoulder. 

Hands clasped in front, with his head meekly bowed was Poruka - one of four surviving males from the south. He was still young, but old enough to breed. The lad was tall. Strong for his age, with hair as black and thick as Kouga's own. But his demeanor was far from confident, or cocky. "C-can I speak with you a moment, Kouga sir?" he stammered out nervously. 

Kouga reigned in his temperament, reserving his dynamic outbursts for only his closest of friends. He inhaled deeply, and tried to blow out the tension. "What do you want, Poruka?" 

Poruka eyed Ginta and Hakkaku uneasily. "Alone, if you don't mind." 

Sick of their complaining as it was, Kouga made eye contact with his two pals, and jerked his chin towards the exit. Just as eager to leave, they hopped up without question and trotted out. Emotionally drained, Kouga motioned for the other to sit down on the mat in front of him. 

But instead, Poruka stood, anxiously shifting weight from one foot to the other. 

"Sit." 

"Hai. Sorry." The youth plunked down on his designated spot. 

"Yes?" Kouga asked wearily. 

"Sir, it's a-about the-" his chestnut eyes caught the parchments laid out on the floor, his face paling considerably when he saw the one with his name on top, "the p-p-polygamy sir." 

Kouga schooled his face to remain calm, but inwardly he wanted to scream. He quirked his brow for the boy to continue, and watched with growing irritation as the kid's cheeks flushed red. 

"I…I…" he swallowed, an uncharacteristic resolution hardening his face. "I can't do it." 

Kouga dropped his head in his hands, and counted to three before he spoke. "You understand all the implications, don't you," he stated more than asked. 

"Yes." 

Kouga found himself relieved that at least SOMEONE besides himself knew it wouldn't be easy. But his relief was washed out by frustration at Poruka's refusal to participate. "Look. I know it'll be complicated, but it's our duty, my friend. We must strengthen our tribe, or it will die out." 

Poruka hung his head. "I know. And I'm sorry. But you don't understand," he said and then locked stares with Kouga in desperation. "I _can't_ do it." 

Kouga slowly straightened, hearing something unfamiliar in Poruka's voice. Something that hinted at a problem much greater. His eyes flung wide. "Are…are you," his glance flicked down to the lad's crotch in pained disbelief, "_impotent?_"

Poruka's face scrunched, and then opened dramatically when the word registered. "No! Gods, Kouga. No, I'm not." A nervous chuckle, and then more seriously, "The thing is," his flush darkened, "I'm in _love._"

Kouga felt his shoulders relax, recalling the young, cute female that always seemed to be hanging on Poruka's arm. "Oh, _that…_" He batted at the air in front of him. "She's been assigned to you. Don't worry. I wasn't about to separate already-established couples-"

"She's the only one I can be with, Kouga." 

Kouga frowned. "No. You'll have eleven others-"

"But that's what I'm trying to tell you. I can't! To love someone like I love her… You don't know what it's like…" he said suddenly, his hands balling into fists. 

Kouga leaned back, his pride instantly wounded, both by the accusation, and the still-raw emotional wound from being rejected by Kagome. "You're wrong," he began, but was quickly snuffed out by the lad's uncharacteristic determination. 

"She's beyond beautiful to me. I'm drawn to her heart. Her soul. Her passion for life…"

Kouga nodded, unable to stop himself from comparing his sentiments for Kagome to this boy's feelings for his own female. He went down the mental checklist. _Beautiful. Check. Drawn to her heart, soul… Check Check._

Poruka's held his hands pleadingly up between them. "She's all I can think about!" 

Kouga considered the last words with slight discomfort. Okay. He hadn't thought about Kagome _all_ the time, but that was to be expected. Hell. With his oath of revenge and Naraku's presence in the land, it was only natural that he focused more on that vixen Kagura, than his woman…

_Agh… Kagura…_ Dammit. He'd been doing so well, too. Had gone maybe a half hour without thinking about her. But just saying her name internally triggered that last moment they'd had, and he found himself reliving it AGAIN; her fiery eyes expressing things he hadn't thought her capable of, the smooth warmth of her skin when their faces touched, the way she had shuddered when he got too close... 

He hissed a quiet reprimand at his body as his heartbeat sped up and his gut tightened. It took him a moment to catch up with what the boy was saying. 

"…and so I don't want anyone else. My BODY doesn't want anyone else." 

Kouga shook himself, and forced his focus on those last words. They were absurd. "Nonsense," he said roughly. "A good imagination and lots of friction is all you'd need to-"

Poruka's face contorted as though he'd just bit into a lemon. "You're wrong… Even thinking about trying to force myself to couple with another is enough to shrivel me up for-"

"ENOUGH!" Kouga jumped to his feet. "There's no place now for your monogamous affections, Poruka. Your tribe existed before you were even born, and they'll be here when you die. Every decision you make affects them," he snapped. "So man-up, boy! We're all sacrificing here, including me." 

Poruka's lips set in a thin line, and he looked ill. "Even you, huh?" he looked around the empty lair demonstrably, as though pointing out that Kouga had no one to sacrifice. "Well, don't be surprised when none of my wives produce, save the one I love." 

Flustered beyond composure, Kouga flung his finger towards the exit of his lair. "Go!" 

Poruka left briskly, and Kouga rubbed his brow with his thumb and forefinger. That last outburst had reminded him of his father. Man, how he wished for the simple days when his only self-imposed responsibility was to bully other youkai off the mountain with his gang. It's not like he was implementing this practice because he _wanted_ to-

Snickering caught his attention, and he turned to see two familiar black-haired kidlets peeking at him from around the entrance to his lair. The tension lessened in his shoulders as he took in their mischievous and anxious expressions. _Hn,_ he thought amusedly. _Little rascals have perfect timing. I could use a light-hearted distraction right about now. _

"I see you, Bink. Bonk," he bellowed out to the twins, smirking devilishly. "Do you know what the penalty is for spying on the wolf prince?" 

One brought his fist down on the other's head, and they both ended up sprawling on the floor. "Bonk, you rabbit terd! He heard your laughing!" 

"No! He smelled your fart!" 

"That was YOU!" 

Repressing a smile, Kouga placed his hands on his hips and walked over to the squabbling youths. They quieted up immediately, though the grins still split their faces. He stared down at them in mock intimidation, and patted his belly. 

"So they sent me two runts for breakfast, eh? Good. I was getting hungry." 

Bonk squealed laughter, and tried to make a run for it. Bink ducked beneath Kouga's legs and passed him on the other side, but within moments Kouga had them both suspended upside down with their heels firmly grasped in his hands. 

"So! Which one shall I eat first?" 

Both boys were beside themselves with giggles, their faces reddening. "We're not BREAKFAST!" 

Kouga frowned at them. "No?" 

"NO! DOOFUS!" 

"Then why else would you be here?" 

They both answered in unison. "We heard that you're going to be our FA-THER!" 

Kouga's smile froze. They were the kids of the matriarch of the old Northern clan - their father one of those killed by Kagura. In order to maintain a structure, Kouga had had indeed assigned himself the wives of the lost tribe leaders, but wasn't too comfortable that word had gotten out already. "You heard about that, eh?" 

"HAI!" 

"Well," his reservations quickly faded in the light of their bright, hopeful faces. "Do you think you could handle having me as a dad?" 

They both nodded enthusiastically "You're our-" Bonk started, only to be interrupted by Bink. 

"OUR FAVORITE!" 

"Yeah! We like you the most!" 

Kouga laughed, coming to the conclusion that plural marriages might not be so bad after all if he was going to be the patriarch over such cool kids. He set them down, and lowered himself until he was eye level with the twins. "You'll have to help me lead the tribe, then, boys. And it's not easy." 

They both stuck out their chests. "We're strong!" 

"Oh?" he managed, trying to stifle a guffaw. 

With no more warning than a glint in their eyes, the two tackled him. He umphed as one got him in a headlock while the other dove at his ribs. Kouga coughed surprise as they wrestled him to the ground. He didn't realize how badly he needed to laugh until he caught the sound of his own hearty chuckling echoing with their lilting hee haws throughout the lair. 

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who noticed it, either. An attractive female materialized in the entrance soon after, with her layered, onyx hair, and lavender eyes. One hand was settled firmly on her hip, while the other wagged a finger at her sons. 

"THERE you two are! Didn't I tell you to not bother the prince?" 

"It was Bonk's idea, mum!" 

"It was Bink's!" 

Still laughing, Kouga sat up, with a kid tucked securely under each arm. "You two snuck out without your mom's permission, eh?" 

They sobered up somewhat. "Well…"

He dug his fingers into their ribs. "EH?" 

"GAH! HA! STOP!" 

"QUIT IT, KOUGA! QUIT IT!" 

"You both squeal like pigs," he laughed, and set them on their feet. All hops and giggles, they bounded over to their mother, and darted past her. 

She half-turned and called out after them, "No more playing until you finish tanning those pelts, boys!" The twins' happy noises faded as they went on their merry way, leaving Kouga alone with the stunning female. 

"They really like you," she commented, walking towards him with her hands clasped behind her back. "I hope they didn't cause too much trouble." 

He shook his head. "I needed that break. There are times when I'd rather spend all day in the nursery than five minutes up here." His good nature quickly lessened, however, when he saw the look in her eyes. 

He knew that look. And with her being quite possibly the most beautiful female of the entire clan, he should have _liked_ that look. But oddly enough, the blood in his body rushed everywhere except where it was supposed to. Red-faced, and feeling increasingly awkward, he took a step back. 

Without inhibition, she closed the distance between them, and Kouga soon found himself with both her arms wrapped around his neck. "So when is the ceremony, love?" she breathed, with a hint of naughty mischief in her eyes. 

A sense of wrongness filled him right then. Inexplicable, but definitely there. "Um, ah..t-tom…"

She pulled his head down and bit his ear. Kouga went completely rigid. 

"Tomorrow?" 

He swallowed. "Mm." 

She pulled back, and just as Kouga hoped she would end the embrace, the randy female lifted her chin up and kissed him. Kouga startled, but forced himself to stay put, even though every fiber in his body wanted to run away. It was ridiculous. She was gorgeous on every level, and would legally belong to him by tomorrow night. Why not let himself enjoy a little intimacy? 

So he placed his hands dutifully on her waist, and forced himself to go through the mechanics of the lip lock. She moaned against his mouth, so he must have been doing something right. But the excitement failed to pass on to him, and with rising anxiety, he realized that kissing one of his brides-to-be was just about as arousing as kissing a rock. 

Suddenly Poruka's words about not being 'able' to couple with anyone besides his love didn't sound so far fetched anymore. Swearing internally, Kouga immediately conjured up memories of Kagome's face. Her charisma. Those cute, human legs…

And redoubled his efforts. He brought his arms full circle around her, tilted her back, inhaled her scent as it rapidly changed. But to his horror…

Nothing. 

_Shit!_

Fighting a losing battle, Kouga quickly uttered the best excuse he could come up with - one he would have probably used even if he'd _been_ attracted to her. "_After_ the ceremony, we can finish this," he purred against her lips in his best seductive voice. "Do it the right way…"

Heavy-lidded, she pulled back enough to lock stares with him, and smiled genuinely. "So honorable," she whispered, and traced a finger across his jaw, tapping it on his chin. "Well, in that case you'd better make me your first, Kouga. I'll make it worth your while," she said, and with a black-lashed wink, the female sauntered out of his lair with a deliberate hip sway that should have made his palms sweat and his gut tingle. 

But all it did was repulse him. Kouga waited until she'd left, and then spun his back to the entrance and glared down at the god-given package between his legs in horrified bewilderment. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he hissed in a strangled whisper. "She's beautiful!" 

No answer. Obviously. 

"How am I going to go through with this if you're not going to cooperate, eh!? And since when did thoughts of Kagome fail to move you?" He began to pace, realizing that perhaps maintaining territories might be the least of his problems. 

It was ridiculous. Sure, he was monogamous by nature, but there was no one in his life right now who had a monopoly on his affections. The feelings of 'wrongness' he got around the females of his tribe made no sense. Just like it made no sense that the only person who _did_ manage to quicken his heartbeat was Kagura, and…

_Oh…_ He suddenly felt sick. _Oh no…_ Kouga stopped, mid-pace and swayed. _That can't be it… That's NOT it…_

"Hey Kouga. You alright?" It was Ginta's voice. "You look kinda pale…"

"I'm…I'm fine," he managed, trying in vain to straighten his spine as he looked at his comrade in the entryway. "Wha…what is it?" 

"The tanuki have been seen, lingering at the base of the mountain." 

"How many?" Kouga asked, suddenly very grateful for such a worthy distraction. 

"Few dozen…"

"Hm…" _Okay. Focus, Kouga, focus. _ "It's…not in their nature to mobilize like that." 

"No. It's not." 

He gripped the new dilemma with a frightening tenacity. If he was lucky, the mischievous raccoon demons might even cross enough lines to justify a skirmish. And he could use a good fight right now. He really could. 

"Let's go," he said, making for the exit. 

"Should I go get some help?" 

"No," he snapped, brushing past Ginta. "This is my deal. If it comes to punches, then I want to be the one who gets to throw them." 

*** * ***

"There," uttered the elderly flea youkai as she finished perusing the angry, biting letter. "That oughtta do it." 

Shyouga put the finishing touches on the parchment by hopping her already ink-soaked feet in the black liquid, and shuffling out a forged signature. 

"KA-GU-RA." 

A bat squeaked nearby, and she looked up to the massive, leather-winged rodent that was suspended upside down from a cleft in the rock overhang. 

"Alright, beast!" she called out, and it dislodged and flapped itself down to where she was on the ground. Myouga's estranged fiancé quickly rolled the parchment with her body, and let the bat clasp it in its sharp talons. 

"Head north," she ordered, hopping on the creature's neck and burying herself in its hair. "I'll direct you from there." 

Shyouga held on tight as her carrier took off, giggling childishly at her brilliant trickery. She'd arrived to the scene late, catching bits and pieces of the show down from the villagers' conversations, she deduced what had happened between the wolf prince, and the Wind User. And when Kagura came stumbling back into the village, disoriented and withdrawn, a tenacious idea formed in the flea's head. She couldn't stop herself from meddling. Perhaps one day, Kagura and Kouga would even thank her. 

Actually, she counted on it. 

*** * ***

Sulking, Kouga made his way back to his tribe with Ginta en tow. 

"Heheheh. It's good to know they're still terrified of us," his comrade said. "That was EASY." 

"Yeah," Kouga muttered tensely, his fists itching to knock down every tree that he passed. 

"I mean, you barely opened your mouth before they turned tail and ran. With a reputation like that, who… " he paused. "What the…" he paused again. "Good Hell, look at the size of that thing!" 

"Hn?" Kouga paused, and followed his buddy's gaze upwards. There, eclipsing the sun as it descended, was one of the largest, non-youkai cave bats he'd ever seen. Half his height, easily. 

"It's coming towards us…" Ginta stammered curiously. "And it's not a specie indigenous to our territories. I wonder where it came from…"

"The South," Kouga answered, recognizing the breed from earlier in the week when he'd sought out Kagura. He squinted as it neared. "It's got something…"

"What?" Ginta asked, only to be answered as the massive, winged beast dropped its cargo neatly into Kouga's hands. Then, just as quickly as it came, the bat flew off in a direction that the wolf prince was all too familiar with. 

Kouga looked down to the scroll in his hands. It stunk like guano. 

Ginta peered over his shoulder. "A letter, is it?" 

Without answering, Kouga opened it curiously, his first impression being that whoever wrote it had terrible handwriting. 

**

~

**

_KOUGA, _

The moonless night is only a day away, but I suppose you know that. Just like you know that my villagers are now defenseless against the youkai threat because you destroyed their protection. Figures. Hypocrisy DOES suit your nature, after all, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.   
Just remember, their blood will be on your cloak, wolf boy, and it's a stain that will never come out. 

KAGURA

**

~

**

Kouga's hands trembled, and the parchment was quickly crumpled in a white-knuckled fist. "That _bitch…_"

Ginta eyed him warily. "Who was it from?" 

"Hypocrite, _indeed_," Kouga seethed, not hearing nor caring what his buddy was saying. "Trying to guilt me into doing _her_ job..." He faced South, and bent his knees to spring off. 

Ginta blocked him. "Wait! Where are you going?" 

"Ginta," he spared a quick glance to the patchy-haired youkai, "The territories are safe for now. Postpone the marriages until I get back." 

"But, how long will you be gone?" he stammered, clearly flustered. 

"Don't know. A few days." 

"O…okay…"

"I trust you," he said, patting a strong hand on Ginta's shoulder. "I'll return as soon as I can." 

His anxiousness already more than he could bear, Kouga broke free of his comrade's bewildered stare, and barreled through the foliage. 

Anger was just one of many sentiments that coursed like fire through his veins upon receiving her insulting letter. But it was the _only_ one he was going to let surface. 

The rest could very well land him in an identity crisis. 

* * *

**_Next Chapter_**

** 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 ~ 9 ~ 10 ~ 11 ~ 12 ~ 13 ~ 14 **


	7. Chapter 7

** **

**_Chapter 7_**

* * *

Kagura watched the abandoned valley through narrowed eyes from the ruins of her castle. In the rusty haze of the darkening dusk it already looked like a ghost village, even though its inhabitants were just situated down the mountain pass. 

She shifted uneasily, grimacing at the rough texture of the woolen kimono the villagers had provided for her. It was the color of tree bark and about as comfortable. But given with pure intent, nonetheless. It baffled her as to why the people of this valley had even worried over her mangled condition, when the first words out of her mouth upon her return was that she'd failed them. That they had to leave their home. Immediately. 

They'd accepted the news with solemn nods, seemingly more relieved at her well being than their imminent destruction. _Weak creatures…_ she told herself again. _If they worried more about self-preservation and less about these nonsensical emotional ties, then perhaps they'd be more capable of protecting their village_. 

_Since I'm obviously not._

She winced inwardly, cursing the wolf prince for leaving her, amongst other things, so useless. She'd found her air born feather buried in the rubble of her smashed castle, but her fan was ruined beyond repair. 

And the makeshift one in her hands now from the village wasn't nearly powerful enough to channel her winds. It was foolish to even sit here, waiting for the hordes to come. Her defensive attacks would be like spitting on a fire. 

And yet she stayed. 

The first hollow wails perked her ears. The canopy of sky darkened, and she looked painstakingly at the tranquil scene below - ripe and ready for a youkai holocaust. 

She readied the crude weapon. The first wave of the ugly, stupid creatures poured over the nearest rise, down into the valley below. She always hated this kind of demon - a complete waste of life, better suited to annoy those stuck in hell than to pester the living with their disorganized presence. 

They neared the community. Roared. She splayed the practically useless fan in her fingers when a blur in her peripheral vision made her pause. She blinked, squinted. And nearly fell over. 

_Kouga!?_

The wolf youkai leapt at the hordes with a guttural cry. Decapitations, and dismemberments abounded. She watched with mixed emotions as he tore through them like they were nothing - his face as feral as she'd ever seen. 

Part of her nearly bolted. Her hand even reached up to the feather in her hair to fly away. But she lingered, and her feet stayed grounded, her eyes transfixed by quite possibly the most confusing encounter of her entire life. 

It didn't take long. The first wave ended up being the last wave, as all the mindless youkai in the proximity had been drawn towards the ancient battleground at once. And Kouga was soon a solitary figure in a field of carnage, fists clenched, chest heaving with gravelly pants. His lit eyes quickly sought her out. 

Kagura's stomach dropped out when all that ferocity was suddenly focused on her. Her old self would have scoffed at how easily he'd unnerved her. But her old self was gone, leaving her vulnerable to his presence in more ways than one. 

His lip twitched, and his fangs flashed in the night like stars. With an audible growl, he stomped over, and Kagura found herself inching back. 

"Why did you-" she began, only to be cut off as he shook a crumpled parchment in his white-knuckled fist. 

"What the hell is this!?" he barked. 

Her foot caught on some wood debris, and she fell on her rump. Unrelenting, he threw the wad, and it bounced off her chest and into her lap. 

A letter. She eyed him warily as her fingers fumbled to open it. He ranted on. 

"You're insane!" he snarled, beginning to pace. "Trying to make me feel responsible for the welfare of a HUMAN village, like that. I've fed entire communities to my wolves, Kagura, with no more regret than I would squashing a fly!" 

Was he referring to what she'd said back in the storm? About him indirectly being responsible for their deaths? The letter opened, and she looked down at it, hoping to find enlightenment both for Kouga's sudden presence, and his baffling behavior. 

She quickly assessed what she could of the parchment. Terrible handwriting. Addressed to him. Then her eyes widened as she read the content, and outright bulged when she saw her name signed at the bottom. 

"I…" she frowned up at him. "I didn't write this." 

"Keh!" On the about-face, he crossed his arms angrily and glared at her. 

She was growing increasingly nervous. Was this a joke? Was he _trying_ to drive her crazy? Kagura scooted back. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, Kouga," she said, wincing as a splinter poked her palm. "But I'd rather you just st-stayed the hell away from me." 

"If you didn't want me here, then you shouldn't have sent-" 

"I said I didn't write it! Idiot! You should know better!" 

His shoulders bunched up, and he seethed audibly. "It's not like you're as predictable as you used to be, Kagura!" An edgy silence passed between them. The Wind User knew something strange was going on - something that perhaps neither of them were aware of, because Kouga obviously believed what he was saying. Which meant that… 

"You came, though," she uttered in a newfound awe, wondering if he was capable of such selflessness. "You came to protect my villagers…" 

His eyes twitched and he stepped back. "I came to show you what happens when the wolf prince is insulted!" 

"And what's that, brat - you come to fight your offender's battles for them?" she shot back, feeling slightly guilty as he quickly lost momentum. With an inarticulate curse, Kouga broke eye contact and stared randomly at the village below. 

"You said I was a hypocrite." Quietly. More subdued. "Or the letter did." 

Kagura relaxed. He believed her. "And you came to prove to me that you're not?" 

He didn't answer, and now that his ire was gone, she noticed how heavy his gaze was as he looked out across the valley. As a matter of fact, everything about him seemed heavy. As though he were blanketed by some invisible, lead cloak. 

She barely stopped herself in time from asking what ailed his soul. Why the hell would _she_ care? 

"The villagers," he frowned suddenly, his gaze bouncing from empty hut to empty hut. "They're gone…" 

"They left to avoid the slaughter." 

Perplexed. "Then why are you here?" 

The question made her flinch. She'd been avoiding answering it, even to herself. "I told you," she snapped. "I am the village's Protector." 

"But-" 

"And a village is more than people, Kouga. It's their home." 

His lips thinned, and his eyes narrowed. "But you're useless! I made sure of it!" 

She quirked a brow, and held her makeshift fan up between them. As tense as she was, Kagura nearly laughed when Kouga took three alarmed steps back. Amusement turned to tease, and she couldn't stop herself from tossing him an evil smile, and brushing the air between them. 

"Fujin no Mae!" 

"What are you doing!?" His eyes widened dramatically and he stumbled back as a few dozen wind scythes materialized and swooped towards him. With no time to escape, Kouga curled into himself, burying his head in his arms. 

Which left his ribs completely exposed. Kagura's smile turned genuine as the blades hit. He instinctively spasmed with their impact, and his preemptive screams of pain were quickly replaced by hissing, gasping… 

And stunned, breathy laughter. 

She'd never considered tickling him to death before, but with such a great reaction, the thought was seriously tempting. So much so that she threw another attack. 

"Ryuuja no Mai…" 

No sooner had the blades dissipated than the angry whirlwinds danced over to continue the torment. He scrambled to get away, but there were too many. He glanced incredulity at her as they hit and - oh, this was too good - the boy was literally pinned with their voracious, tickling funnels, and pretty soon his wheezy protests turned into squealing laughter. 

As he writhed in helpless hysterics on the ground, Kagura's own chuckles joined in. It surprised her how delightful this was. Perhaps there were more joys to life than killing, and living. 

"Kag…Kag…KAGURA!!" he managed, red-faced with mirth-induced tears streaming out of his eyes. As the onslaught continued and his endurance waned, Kouga's guffaws gradually turned to yelps, and yelps turned to whimpers, and finally, with both arms wrapped around her gut from enjoyment, the Wind User relented. 

The tornadoes dispersed, and panting heavily, Kouga lifted himself on all fours, and glared daggers at her. "You…" pant, huff, cough, "think that's funny?" 

She took a deep breath through the snorts and snickers, trying in vain to compose herself. The truth was, she'd never laughed so hard in her life. "_Funny_ is an understatement, wolf prince. You should have seen yourself," she chuckled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "You sounded like a wild pig caught in a snare." 

Dignity bruised beyond repair, he crouched, ready to spring. His lip twitched up into a snarl. "Well, _two_ can play at this game-" 

"Stay back, or do you want another go?" she threatened not-so-seriously, holding the fan back up. Flustered, he hesitated. 

"Utter childishness," he growled, obviously trying to project his usual irritation. But even through his vehemence, Kagura could easily tell that the wolf prince was baffled by her behavior. 

"You have a propensity for setting yourself up, Kouga," she smirked, closing the fan. "Like usual." 

"Keh!" he stood and swiped at the air. "Ironic, coming from a demon that thought she could fend off an entire army of lesser youkai with a powerless weapon!" 

Her smile straightened. 

"They would have killed you, foolish female." 

"I could have made a difference." 

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You're worthless without your true weapon." 

_Ouch._ "You weren't saying that a few moments ago," she countered defensively. 

He scoffed. "That's the most ridiculous thing anyone has ever done to me." 

She cringed inwardly. It _was_ pretty absurd. Silence followed as he turned away to stare at the valley again. Kagura didn't like the silence. It let her mind do stupid things - like remember the hearty sound of his laughter, or dwell on how pleasant his expression looked when it was lightened with giggling hysterics. 

"So why did you resort to using a human-crafted fan, instead of replacing your old one?" he asked without looking at her. 

Her jaw dropped. How dare he ask such a thing. "You think I had time!?" she snapped. "In the state you left me in, it took me nearly three days to get back, and two more to find my wind feather in the rubble of my shrine! And the materials for my weapon aren't so easily obtained-" 

"How difficult could it possibly be?" he asked evenly, his expression almost unreadable. 

"Difficult enough. In my _circumstance_," she drawled out the word bitterly, flapping her worthless fan in demonstration, "I have no choice but to recruit muscle. Had even considered finding your ex-girlfriend, or some of her friends…" 

He flinched at the reference to Kagome. It was no surprise to see that that wound was still raw. "And what makes you think they'd jump at the opportunity to arm an enemy?" 

"Everyone has a price." 

"Not those who can't be bought," he said begrudgingly. "Even dog terd has lines he won't cross." 

He had a point. It's not like she'd gone out of her way to make friends during her sprint with Naraku. And all her siblings…even Kanna…had been destroyed in the last battle. _How pitiful_, she thought in self-deprecation, _that I've wasted most of my time protecting weak creatures when I should have been seeking out powerful allies._ Her hands curled into fists. _Damn…_

"Kagura." 

She frowned at him. 

He pursed his lips, his expression strained, but set. "I'll help you." 

"You'll…" she shook herself. "Come again? I think there must be something wrong with my hearing..." 

"I said I'll help you. And then we're through. Done. You stop existing to me, and I stop existing to you. Understand?" 

She stared at him mutely, finding it odd that she knew exactly what he was talking about. Having no other option, Kagura nodded. 

His mouth opened, and he looked like he wanted to say something else, but a stray youkai chose that particular moment to interrupt them with its fleshy yodeling. 

Two seconds later, it was split in two and discarded as wantonly as dishwater. Wiping his claws in the dirt, Kouga peered up at her over his shoulder. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked irritably. "Get that feather out. We only have a day to get you a new weapon before the next batch of these stupid demolition mongers arrive." 

* * *

**_Next Chapter_**

** 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 ~ 9 ~ 10 ~ 11 ~ 12 ~ 13 ~ 14 **


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

**_Chapter 8_**

Her eyes followed him in increasing aggravation. The wolf demon scurried anxiously from one side of the feather to another, peeking down, ahead, sideways… He sniffed the air repeatedly and slapped the fibers with his hands. 

Kouga was worse than a damn puppy. 

"Would you be still already?" Kagura finally snapped. "You're the most skittish creature I have ever seen!" 

He stiffened mid-scramble, and glared at her in offended dignity. "My legs want to run," he countered. "I'm not used to being carried places." 

"Use the lull to conserve your energy," she insisted, and held his gaze until he huffed and squirmed into a cross-legged position beside her. The unnatural posture did little to keep his knees from bouncing, or his hands from clenching and unclenching into fists. 

She shook her head. "Good hell. Are you _always_ like this?" 

He tossed her a guarded look. "Like what?" he asked defensively. 

She looked away. "Oh, never mind." Kagura kept her focus ahead, her nerves abruptly relaxing. Who would have thought Kouga had so many facets to him? She found it strangely intriguing that for all his bravado and passion, the seasoned pack leader could turn right around and act as impatient, and rambunctious as a child. 

Unaware of her analysis, Kouga inched forward again, his eyes taking in the entire landscape with jerky glances. She peeked at him while his attention was diverted. Even through the darkness of the night, the wolf prince was still vibrant - radiating colorful auras that she'd have to be blind not to see. Compared to her porcelain femininity, his skin was bronzed, and his body strong. He probably spent most of his time running about in the daylight, doing whatever pack leaders do. And the fur skins he wore, mixed with that long, thick hair made him look wild. Untamable. 

_Savage,_ she thought instinctively. But instead of the standard repulsion, Kagura was washed in an entirely opposite sensation. She gulped. 

It was THE sensation. That confusing, overwhelming one she'd felt on that rainy day under the heat of his gaze. 

Kagura's face and neck suddenly felt hot. Her palms tingled, and feet itched. From there, the odd, spontaneous feeling centralized in her gut, giving her the ridiculous urge to lean up next to him. _Look away girl,_ she reprimanded herself in rising panic, and blinked down to stare wide-eyed at her toes. 

"Hn. There's the ocean." 

His voice jerked her face upwards to see a barely repressed smile tweak the corners of his lips. He was excited. 

"You…" she cleared her throat. _And_ her head. "You've never been beyond the boundaries of the mainland before, have you?" 

He shook his head once and stared back down at the waves. Kagura was relieved he was too distracted to notice her lack of composure. Then she noticed how firmly his hands gripped the fibers of her feather. 

"I hadn't pegged you for one to get nervous." She goaded. 

"Eh?" his face scrunched as he tried to project incredulity. "Keh! I don't get nervous." 

"Oh no?" She'd always loved teasing him, but now that her thirst for blood had dissipated, Kagura was quickly realizing that her inherent meanness had chosen another, more playful venue to express itself. 

Her foot lanced out and slammed into his ribs. Kouga yelped surprise as he was pitched over the side of the feather, his hands scrambling in comical fashion for purchase. They caught - she knew they would - on the very edge of the feather, dangling him like a spider monkey from its perch. 

Inarticulate curses frothed on his tongue as he gaped, bug-eyed, at the thunderous waves below. Kagura leaned forward on all fours and smirked down at him. "I don't know. You look pretty intimidated to me," she said silkily. 

With a hiss, he jerked his chin up to give her a look of death. Then, with no more warning than a strained grunt, Kouga brought his knees up, and kicked the bottom of the feather with such ferocity that it succeeded in dismounting her completely. 

Kagura yelped as she was launched up, and over. She went rigid with panic - the free fall instantly lodging her intestines in her throat. And just as she wondered how much the watery impact would hurt from this high up, a powerful arm hooked around her waist and reeled her in. 

She was braced against a long, warm torso, while her breaths came and went in startled gasps as she gawked at the depths below. Then she felt the wind of his exhale on her ear - a self-satisfied 'Hn', followed by damn smug words. 

"Who's nervous _now_?" he whispered. 

Kagura went completely rigid, her voice catching as he dug his fingers deliberately into her ribs. 

"And I still owe you from earlier…" 

_Shit…_ She looked over her shoulder at his gleaming, mischievous eyes. "We're hanging here by your one arm, Kouga. Now is not the time for retributionnn_nyah!_ Gah! You….b-b-b…BASTARD!" 

She squirmed spastically, and he laughed outright as his fingers continuing to rub invasively across her ribs in one of the most ludicrous tortures imaginable. "Careful now," he said in a strained chuckle as he tried to keep hold of her writhing body. "If you squirm too much, then I'll have to drop you--" 

"E-enough already!" she squeaked, clawing at his forearm. "St…STOP!" 

"You should have known better than to play with me like that." 

He was relentless. Kagura kicked, screamed, threw her head back trying to smash his nose, but he kept on, his obvious delight at exacting this lesser form of revenge infuriating her. 

Through her scattered coherence, she came up with a plan - a plan that immediately manifested itself into a reality as her arm snaked up, brushed the feather with a choked incantation, making it shrink into her fingers. 

Kouga gasped. His fingers froze against her side. And they fell. 

The force of their weight yanked them down through the air with a dizzying speed. Disoriented though she was, Kagura couldn't help but to smirk at the inarticulate protests sputtering behind her. He was flapping his free arm against the wind as though he expected it to grow feathers and fly. 

The humungous waves rolling below were getting closer. Alarmingly closer. She had to do something fast before her joke made a big, soaking wet fool of both of them. At the last possible minute, Kagura reconstructed her feather, sweeping the fluttering thing beneath them. 

Kouga 'umfed' as she crashed on top of him, caging him to her feather. With his next breath, he uttered a foul curse and rolled his head to the side to see just how close they'd come to the monstrous ocean. 

His neck was glistening from the mist, and she could feel his heart thumping rapidly under her palms on his chest. With a weak excuse for a derisive, 'Keh!', he tilted his chin back to glare at her in bewildered exasperation. "Not...funny..." he managed through heaving breaths. 

She might have responded, but she suddenly realized how awkwardly close their faces were. It was only compounded by the fact that their limbs were tangled together in no innocent manner. 

Kagura would have raised herself off him, but his arm was still circled around her with a forceful tenacity. Reflex, maybe. She watched with growing apprehension as his expression seemed to freeze, those hypnotic cerulean eyes fogging over. 

It wasn't the first time he'd looked at her like that. She blinked. Wanted to look away, but couldn't. Wanted to push off him, but couldn't. This unspoken power he had over her wasn't just unnerving. It was terrifying. 

Panic started to seep in - not because she was afraid of what he might do to her, but because of what she might do to him if this impasse didn't stop. _Sneer at me, call me names, threaten my life, _ she plead silently. _ Just stop looking at me like that!_ "Kouga," she breathed. "Let me _go…_" 

His eyes widened just a fraction. Did he really not know? The heavy arm that encompassed her waist uncurled from around her, and she quickly scrambled backwards, brushing his thighs, his knees, his calves with her arms as she went. She hissed softly at her abrupt embarrassment. Why the hell would any self-respecting prince wear so few clothes? 

Her accidental touches made him equally skittish, and he jerkily scooted back until they were at opposite ends of the feather. Whatever it was, had almost happened again. Had it not been for the intimidating ocean, she imagined he might have just lunged in the water and swam to shore just to get away from her. 

She stared out. He stared out, their gazes landing on anything but each other. The feather carried them upwards, back in the direction they were headed. Kagura was silently grateful that they were nearly to the small island that would be their destination. The silence was so strained, it was nearly unbearable. She tried to focus on the splash of the waves, the howl of the wind, the distant caw of a seagull… 

"So are they _his_ memories?" 

She startled at the sound of his voice, and turned to face him. "Hm?" 

Kouga's head turned slowly…tensely…his eyes locking on her face. "The ones that tell you where this island is, and how to remake your weapon. Are they Naraku's memories?" 

"Ah…"_ Good subject change, Kouga,_ she conceded. "Knowledge. I was born with knowledge. Not memories." 

Contemplative pause. "That's impossible." 

She frowned, quickly forgetting their awkward moment. "Pardon?" 

"How can you make your own decisions if you have no life experience to base them on?" 

"I…" she had no ready answers for this. It was something she'd been struggling with since the day she was born. "I have instincts…" 

"Which you've been denying." 

"How would you know?" 

His lips curled in a humorless smirk, and an uncharacteristic concession fell off his lips. "I'm still alive, aren't I?" 

"I…" she pursed her lips. "It's not that simple…" 

"You have memories." 

"I don't!" she spat defensively. "I am severed from him, you arrogant jerk. Completely. Nothing of Naraku remains…" Oh, he'd struck a nerve. And by the cocky smirk on his face, the bastard was enjoying it. She found herself preferring his awkward silence. It seemed that every time he opened his mouth, the demon managed to piss her off. 

His eyes trailed her body from head to toe in scrutiny, and he quirked a brow. "Sure, you've changed. Even your scent has altered itself to be less like his. But you're full of shit if you think-" 

"Fine!" she snapped. "They're phantom memories, okay? Little moments of déjà vu. But that's all." Kagura crossed her arms and looked out over the ocean. "It's not like I had a choice over how I was brought into this life, you know." 

"I know." 

"But I'm not about to let that determine who I am." 

"Obviously." 

"And it's not like I was pampered with love and affection by a tribal clan," she glared at him pointedly, "or a nurturing mother." 

His flippant answers stopped. Something crossed his face. Something dark. "Count your blessings, Kagura," he said soberly after a long pause. "One's actions have greater consequences--" his voice faltered, and he scowled, looking away, "…when they are tied by blood to loved ones…" 

He said it in a way that made her wonder exactly which tomb she'd just scratched the surface of. _What dark secrets ail your soul, Kouga? Can they even compare to my own?_

A big part of her insisted that she didn't pry. But there was a need in her that wanted to know. Did he have regrets, too? Ones that made him cringe when he thought about them? 

"Can the actions of your past even hold a flame to the circumstance of my creation?" she asked, not quite meaning it as a jab. 

A small scoffing exhale. "You have no idea." 

Another pause. "So tell me." 

His head swiveled on his neck, his eyes pained, searching her face for…_something_. She held her breath. 

After a long silence, Kouga exhaled heavily and redirected his gaze at some distant point on the horizon. "Tell you what?" 

"Your story," she breathed, stunned by the poignancy of her own curiosity. Had he at some point successfully defied his own destiny? Like she was trying so desperately to do? "The past that shaped who you became…" 

He winced, refusing to meet her eyes. "There isn't time for that." 

Her shoulders sank. _Damn. But I really wanted to know--_

"The mountain was ours to begin with, you know." His soft spoken words startled her. She held her breath, staring at his back with wide, curious eyes. 

"They say I bullied all other resident clans off it, but in truth I was just taking back what was rightfully ours." 

"How…" she swallowed, hoping to get more information, "How did you lose it?" 

He snorted. "Territorial skirmish. How else? To those _damned_…ugly…tiger beasts," his voice nearly dropped into a growl at their mention, evidencing that the psychological wounds still ran deep. 

Kagura knew of the tiger youkai - inherent berserkers with enough intelligence to organize and really be dangerous. She cringed internally as he continued. 

"Wasteful scum," he spat. "They didn't even inhabit our lands a full year after they slew my father and scattered my people. Got bored, and headed north." 

Kagura considered it. "The tiger youkai are a breed that seeks war for sport. Not spoils." 

"Mm." 

She could see the tense knots in his arms and back, despite the darkness of the night. Even sitting still, he continued to radiate energy like a caged ferret. 

"At least you were able to return home right after they moved on," she said warily, testing the waters. 

He winced. Was quiet. She waited. 

"Not…right after," he finally conceded. 

"What…" she swallowed. "What do you mean?" 

He brought his knees up to his chest, and rested his elbows on them, hanging his head in between. His next words were barely a whisper. "It was decades." 

That surprised her. "Why…why would you wait so long? Were you too small?" 

"No." 

"Were there too few of you to reclaim your lands after the threat had gone?" 

"No." 

"That doesn't…" she paused, not wholly comfortable with how well she knew him, "That doesn't sound like you, Kouga." 

His ears twitched when she said his name, and he turned his head enough to give her a black-shadowed profile of his face. "Oh no?" His tone was broken, and his expression, hidden. She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or sincere, so she said nothing. 

He explained, but only after a long moment of uncomfortable scrutiny. "The wolf youkai," he explained quietly. Humbly, "are bound together on _every_ level. Heart. Spirit. Mind. Blood," he uttered like a mantra. "No sacrifice is too great for our people. No price is too high for loyalty." 

A great watery splash of a massive fish sounded from below, and the wind tugged viciously at the wolf prince's hair and clothes. His hands clenched into fists, and he bowed his head. "So you can imagine, Kagura, how bad it is when the Lord's own son kills his only living brother." 

Her jaw dropped. She forgot to blink. She opened her mouth, managing in a choked whisper, "You…_what?"_

He snorted - more of a cover up for his emotion than anything derisive. "In a desperate moment, when one sees the strongest of their people fall under tooth and claw of the enemy, they can be moved to transform. Despite the warnings…" 

He faced her. Dim starlight reflected in those glistening blue eyes, and his lip lifted in a self-deprecating smirk. "But like I said, the Wolf is difficult to control." 

He left it at that. Kagura couldn't stop staring at him. _So you pulled out of it to see your enemy still alive, and your brother mangled by your own jaws…_

She should have been inoculated to the angst of such a retelling. After all, she'd secretly rejoiced at the demise of some of her own siblings. But something about this…it made her soul ache. She shuddered at the visuals of a much younger Kouga - with his bright eyes, and vibrant mannerisms, wailing over the corpse of his dead brother. 

He looked away, his gaze fixing on the dark canopy above them. Even the shadows couldn't hide the pain in his face. "So you see, Wind User, unintentional fratricide tends to take the intensity out of one's personality for a while. Even mine." 

Questions burned in Kagura's mind - all too unsettling to ask out loud. _Why did you share this with me?_ she wondered, absently clutching at her heart. _Did you know how it would make me feel?_

"Kouga…" 

He shook himself, obviously done with reliving in that part of his past. "After time, I came back to myself, and became a vigilante. Started rallying a gang. We were mischievous…troublesome. Went about mindlessly strong-arming the imposter clans off our old home." He shrugged. "Word spread that the prince had return. More wolf youkai gathered. Next thing I knew, I had an entire tribe looking up to me, so I began to take my role of leadership more seriously. We started to flourish again," he turned and locked stares with her, his expression rueful, but surprisingly not bitter. "And then you came along." 

She bowed her head, wincing internally. "Kouga…I…you know I…" she paused, and tried again. "Sesshoumaru's sword…" 

"So are we almost there yet?" he asked mercifully. She lifted her head, narrowed her eyes at him in perplexed gratitude, and looked over the edge of her feather. A lush, hilly piece of land poked through the waves below, beckoning for them to descend. 

She knew the island, and she knew its deep, deep cavern on the south side. "Yes. We're here." 

****

* * * 

Kagura hovered in the top of the magically lit cave, gripping her feather in nervous anticipation. A couple of the lesser demons had eyed her, but their attention was inevitably drawn to the spastic wolf youkai zigzagging about their home. 

He made it to the web cache, and she held her breath as he snatched up several tarantula trapdoors from the speckled ground. "These!?" he held his fist up. 

She motioned frantically. "Yes YES! Now hurry back! 

Not wasting any time, Kouga hopped and dodged like a flea on fire as the spider youkai spat their sticky webbing at him. The things were monstrous, with gnarly, bristly legs the size of trees. And they moved fast. 

Too fast. She hadn't been paying attention. One of the nasty creatures had scrambled the wall behind her. She heard it, but it was too late. Kagura stiffened as its clicking mandibles closed down towards her. There was a shout. A grunt. The thing was jolted forward, knocking her off her feather. 

Its fang grazed her as she fell, eliciting a scream - a scream that halted when she was caught by none other than Kouga, himself. 

She gasped as he lunged them to the side. Mid-leap, Kagura instinctively reissued her feather. He rolled them on it, and held tight as it carried them up. 

She was still disoriented, her heart leaping in her throat every time Kouga would yank a side of their airborn transit in an effort to dodge the numerous web lassos spat at them. But soon enough, they broke out into the open - now early morning - air, leaving the cavern and the island behind them. 

Flat on her back as she was, Kagura started to raise herself up on her elbows, when Kouga got in her face. He didn't scorn her for nearly getting killed, or insult her for not paying attention. Instead, his brow was drawn tight in the center, and his worried eyes bounced over her form and fixed on her waist where she'd been nicked by the spider youkai. 

"Gods… it got you, didn't it," he muttered, his face twisting in unease. 

Before she could answer, he slipped his fingers through the rip in her kimono and lifted it enough to see the skin underneath. She froze at the contact. He angled his head, frowning. 

"I'm…fine, Kouga. Really. It didn't-" 

"Not even a scratch," he muttered and his face relaxed. He patted the ripped material and eyed her seriously. "You know, if you weren't wearing this ugly, thick-knit dress from those villagers, it would have broken your skin…" 

His hand was warm. His expression was sincere. She found herself staring, at a loss of words. 

"…and the poison from one of those creatures is potent enough to kill…you…" he stopped as he realized she was gawking. "What?" 

"You," she breathed. "You were really worried about me…" 

His eyes widened marginally, and he leaned back, withdrawing his hand. A flush tinged his cheeks. Several seconds passed before he regained control of his expression, at which point his eyes crinkled in an apprehensive shyness. Holding her gaze, he tossed her the collected webbing. 

"I think you have a fan to make." 

* * *

They didn't speak after that. Kagura insisted that she needed silence so that she could concentrate on the weaving, and he obliged. Her fingers had tapped at the air as though playing some invisible instrument, and the wind wove the threads until they were ready to be set against a wooden framing. 

She focused on the task at hand, but some enigmatic ache probed at her lungs, making it hard to breathe. It only got worse when she looked at him, like some indefinable sadness that was eating a hole in her spirit. 

It didn't help her melancholy mood to notice that he seemed to be suffering from the same symptoms. The wolf boy was actually able to sit stationary the entire way back. No fidgeting. No annoying her with spastic movements. His shoulders sagged with some invisible weight, and his gaze fixed on nothing at all. 

_What's happening to us, Kouga?_ she thought wildly. _And why is it that I don't want this trip to end? _The feather touched down in her valley all too soon, and they both dismounted without looking at each other. 

The ache became damn near unbearable. 

"So…you'll be able to finish your weapon before nightfall?" he asked, sparing a quick, jerky glance up at her. 

She nodded. He toed a pebble on the ground, and looked towards the direction of his home. 

"Then it's time for me to go." 

_Agh…_ Kagura clenched her hands into fists. This was it. Erased from mind and thought, like he said. Never to see each other again. It seemed surreal. Impossible, especially considering that this last trip had only made her cognizance of him worse. If only the damn boy could… 

"Kouga," she breathed, her lips trembling. "Take it with you." 

He stiffened, and looked at her over his shoulder. "What?" 

She bit her bottom lip as her stomach suddenly lurched up in her throat. She was becoming increasingly desperate. "Whatever it is that you leave behind when you go... Take it with you." 

Understanding crossed his face right then - which amongst other things, frustrated her. He seemed to know what she was going through better than she did. "You feel something…" he said quietly, "when you think of me." 

He stated it. Just like that. With utmost confidence. Kagura sucked in her breath and stomped her foot in the ground, losing her hold on her composure. "I feel that sparing your life was the biggest mistake of mine!" 

He faced her, his wild eyes anxious. Conflicted. "You're lying." 

Her jaw dropped in reflexive indigniation. "How…? I…I am not!" 

His hesitant demeanor shifted to something more aggressive, and the wolf prince suddenly marched over and got in her face, his hair flopping about his shoulders with the halting stop. "Dammit Kagura, I can _smell_ it on you..." 

_No…_ She took a step back, her heartbeat thrumming so loudly in her ears that it was a miracle she'd even heard him. "You…I don't know what you're--" She gasped as he grabbed her betraying hand, and held it up between them. It was shaking. Her whole body was shaking. 

"You _want_ me…" 

She choked at his audacity. "You conceited…_vulgar_-" she turned his head with an open-handed slap on the face. He growled and grabbed her offending wrist, pinning both hands behind her. 

She hissed, and swore and squirmed in his ungiving hold. "Let GO!" 

"No!" His heart was racing. She could hear it. Feel it. He shook her forcefully. "Look at me…!" 

Gods. Anything but that. He was already wrapped around her like a blanket, throwing her body into a torturous, sensory overload. "No…" 

"LOOK at me, Kagura!" 

Her limbs had gone from trembling to oscillating, but it wasn't long before her body betrayed her, relaxing in his forced embrace. 

"Curse you, Kouga. Why can't you just leave it alone?" she choked, very aware of the affect his nearness was having on her. She wiped her eyes on his chest, batting away an invasive wonderment of what it would feel like to rest her cheek against his armorless skin. "I hate this. I don't understand it." 

With a pulsing exhale, he loosened his hold enough to leave her with the sensation of being in his arms of her own free will, pressing his hands gently against her lower back. "I know…" 

She nearly scoffed, tilting her head back to glare defiantly back at those fierce blue orbs. "Do you?" 

"Yes," he whispered intensely, all traces of his earlier aggression gone. "But I grow weary…" He slid his hand up her back, and dropped his head to hers. The next words were muffled against her lips. 

"…of fighting it…"   


* * *

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	9. Chapter 9

**_Chapter 9_**

* * *

She gasped and froze. Went completely rigid in his arms. Stiffer than a corpse. 

But she didn't push him away. 

Kouga could feel her heartbeat in the light touch of her lips. His coherence fragmented, while his sixth sense screamed at him. At her. _If you're going to break away, you'd better do it now, Kagura!_

A dim remnant of his former self held desperately on to his reservations, while the feel of her soft, trembling mouth burned maddening sensation from his lips to his toes. It was wrong, on every level. 

_But holding her feels so good…_. 

So totally wrong… 

_And her breath, so sweet…_

He'd never be able to go back from this… 

_Every part of me aches for her..._

A heartbeat later, the surreal shifted to overwhelming, and against his better judgment, Kouga found himself _really_ kissing her. 

Her breath caught. Her fingers curled against his chest. Her body shifted. He grabbed her waist. Cradled the back of her head. Tried desperately to make it smooth, even though the passion in him frenzied for attention. He knew she was scared. Could sense it as easily as he sensed her longing. 

But still, she let him hold her. Kiss her. When he folded his body over her, she didn't knee him in the groin. She didn't protest when his fingers fumbled clumsily with her barrette, letting her perfect hair flop cooly against his forearm. She didn't bite his tongue when he slipped it between her teeth. 

Her anxiety faded. Her limbs relaxed. After several moments of opening and closing the kiss, the strength of her legs left her, and Kouga was spurred on by all of her effeminate weight as he caught her against him. 

And then it happened. His captured nemesis began to mimic the soft gestures of his kiss back, angling her face, playing the liplock in return. Her nails grazed his skin as her fingers made their way up and around his neck, pulling his head down. 

The wolf prince knew his limits. But the voice of reason - the one that said this was impossible, that this shouldn't be happening - was being drowned out by the euphoric, taboo sensation of making out with his greatest enemy. 

*** * ***

_Oh, Kami..._

Kagura's lids fluttered shut. Little zingers of sensation pulsated low in her abdomen as she felt the heat and press of his torso against hers. She hissed softly as he finally released her mouth to run his heated lips down the skin of her neck. Her shoulder. Back up to the sensitive area behind her ear… 

She felt herself go completely malleable. Languid. Like water. And through the heavy inebriation of his embrace, a small, fearful wonderment probed at her dimming consciousness like a lost echo - of how the hell he had stripped her of all will power with such a simple gesture. 

_Not a…spell…_ it said through the blissful lethargy his passion evoked. _A drug, then. He…drugged me?_ Then, less coherent. _I don't…remember…_ And finally, the true sentiment. _It doesn't matter. I don't care…_

His kisses gradually got more frantic. His clutches, more aggressive. Even standing, their legs became tangled, his press, enticingly heavy. Had he started out this way, she might have had the capacity to push him away. But _now..._ That nameless need in her had grown. Undeniably powerful. Almost as strong as the instinct to survive, and the Wind User found it alarming that though every part of them seemed to be touching, it still wasn't close enough... 

And then, just as abruptly as he'd started it, Kouga stopped. 

With a strangled growl, he disengaged himself from their embrace and spun away from her, dropping to his knees in the grass. The cool air hit her body where he'd been touching her, sending an unwelcome shiver down her spine. It was a toss up between what she wanted to know more. Why he started it to begin with, or why he stopped. 

"Kouga..." she breathed. 

His trembling fingers combed through his obsidian bangs and met in a white-knuckled clasp behind his bowed head. He didn't...couldn't speak - so half-dazed, and trying to regain the composure that he'd so suddenly stolen, Kagura tried to make sense of it all. But her rationale was blatantly distracted. She could still taste the tangy heat of his mouth, could still feel the phantom touches of his hands, his body. It's like his ghost was still clinging to her. 

Several seconds passed, filled with the deafening sounds of her own heartbeat. Of his guttural, rhythmic panting. A stray bird chirped overhead, and the tall grass brushed against her calves. Kagura, for once was at a complete loss for words, and watched through fogged vision at this demon that had once called her enemy. 

"You have no idea," he finally said in a low, husky whisper, "…how this complicates…my life…" He made an ironic sound - somewhere between a laugh and a whimper. "I have 13 wives awaiting my return. Wolf youkai concubines. Reserved solely for me." 

For some reason, it felt like her heart had just dropped into her gut. _Wives…?_

"And they're going to breed me until the populace of my people is restored. Until we are once again a plentiful and powerful tribe." 

Kagura made a startled noise. The notion of any other female _ touching_ him like that suddenly didn't sit so well. 

"But you see, there's a problem," he exhaled in a mirthless chuckle, and lifted his head to stare in pained amusement at her over his shoulder. His face was flushed. His glistening eyes, emotional. "I don't want them. My body doesn't want them. Because all I can think about is _you_…" 

She took a step back. For him to just admit it openly like that caught her off guard. Very off guard. "Is that…" she swallowed and pushed through the tremor in her voice. "Is that…what's happening here? This _thing_ between us?" 

He didn't answer. 

Kagura plunked down in the grass, lifting a shaky hand to her lips. "So there was no spell… To make me feel like that…" 

He turned to face her with his brow furrowed in confusion. Then his expression opened in understanding, and a brief, but honest laughter rumbled from his throat. He shook his head, his eyes creasing in rueful amusement. "No, Kagura. There was no spell." 

She wavered. _Great…_ And now that she knew him…now that she was drawn to his person for reasons she still hesitated to contemplate - Kagura couldn't deny how physically attractive he'd become to her. 

So much so that even looking at him right now made her nervous. To be the recipient of any of his affection was surreal. He was still unrefined. Wild. But beautiful. His face was handsome…chiseled, with a boyish appeal. And his bronzed skin made the cerulean blue of his eyes seem twice as bright. Twice as breathtaking. And the muscular definition in his arms, his calves, his chest was enhanced with a sweaty sheen that called to her baser nature. Left her wanting to crawl right back over to him, and continue with the intimacy that he'd started... 

And never let him go. 

She grimaced as the void in her soul returned ten fold at the prospect of losing him. She swallowed, and dug her fingers into the dirt, her next question filled with both hope and dread. "So what now?" 

Kouga paused, and then shifted slowly until he was in a crumpled sitting position, facing her. It looked like some tremendous weight was on his shoulders, and Kagura thought she could see where the lines would be on his face when he was four centuries old. He shook his head, and sighed heavily, refusing to meet her eyes. "I go home." 

_Home? _ Surprisingly, she wasn't prepared for his rejection. He could have socked her in the stomach and had the same affect. To make her feel like that, and have the gall to just walk away from her... 

Back to his 13 wives. Her throat constricted. "You…_bastard…_" 

He flinched, and his brow drew in the center. "Kagura. You know it's not that simple for me." 

"I _know_ that, but what about…" Kagura stopped. She'd almost said, 'us'. What was wrong with her? Who was this dependent, insecure person that Kouga had turned her into? She pursed her lips. She was the most powerful elemental demon in the world, dammit. She didn't _need_ the wolf boy. She didn't. 

Doing her best to feign indifference, Kagura stood to her feet and jerked her chin in the direction of his mountain. It was time to put on the old skin. "Keh. Get out of here. I'd just as soon see you go, anyhow." 

He blinked surprise at her abrupt change in demeanor. Kagura avoided his eyes, resolving herself to keep going. She couldn't let him know how much he meant to her now. And maybe if she expounded enough, they'd both end up buying into her bullshit. "So you introduced me to intimacy," she shrugged. "So what? Think I can't get that somewhere else?" 

His expression shifted to something less sure. 

She threw her head back and laughed haughtily. Like she used to when she was trying to kill him. "You're nothing to me Kouga. Were never more than a thorn in my side." Oh, the words hurt to say. But thanks to her malevolent conditioning, they came out with surprising conviction. 

His eyes widened, and his face reddened. His mouth opened to say something, but only a stunned cough came out. 

"Pathetic how you thought differently," she said, squashing down a rush of rising guilt. She wasn't about to be anyone's 14th in line. It was best to push him away before the betraying brat made that ache in her heart worse. "Go back to your kingdom, Kouga. Go back to your _females_," she drawled the word out with more venom than intended, and tried to cover it up with a habitual smirk, "and I'll be sure to put what little knowledge you just gave me to good use." 

It was his turn to jump to his feet, an angry hand slicing through the air. "After all our history, and you still mock me!? After all the blood and…and…_hell_ you've put me through?" He was trembling. Even his lips quivered. "I won't allow it! You…" he made a fist and bowed his head, "You _can't_ be this shallow…" 

She quirked a brow and confirmed his accusation with her brief silence, secretly hating every moment of this. "You honestly think that I'd settle for a savage? Come now. I think we both know I can do better than that." 

A strangled noise, meant to be a protest, and he gawked at her in pained appall. She might have imagined it, but Kagura thought she saw a shimmer in his eyes. After several uncomfortable seconds, he clenched his teeth and straightened his spine in morbid acceptance. 

He squared his shoulders and stood to his full height, his expression abruptly unreadable. Her soul withered under the fire of his narrowed eyes, but she maintained her facade outwardly. 

"Fine." It was one word, but it carried all the impact of a landslide, leaving her buried in the psychological rubble. 

And then he left. With his trademark dust devil at his heels, Kouga fled from the valley without turning back. And it was a good thing, too. Otherwise, he would have seen her outstretched hand, or her collapse in the grass as the distance between them grew…might have even heard the gasp of _don't go! _ that escaped her lips as she watched his quick departure. 

But the tie between them was just severed - and by the barbs of her own tongue, no less. _It is for the better_, she repeated in a desperate mantra. _For the better…_

*** * ***

Kagura barely finished her weapon in time for nightfall. The pandemonium in her head had distracted her for a good part of the afternoon, only alleviated somewhat by the cyclic attack of the lesser youkai. 

Pity she took them out so quickly. As she whipped up a whirlwind to whisk the bloodied remains away, the weight of her loneliness doubled. She stared randomly at the dark horizon…the direction in which Kouga had gone, wondering what he was doing. Thinking. Feeling… 

Her subconscious dared to second guess her. Dared to insinuate that she'd made an enormous mistake, even though she knew she could never settle for second place in his heart, or third, or fourth, or- 

"Half retarded, ill-worded little tramp!" 

Kagura startled. She spun around, her eyes frantically scanning the grass for the source of the insulting squeak of a voice. "Who's there!?" 

"I'LL tell you who, ya no good, callused hellcat! The one who's handiwork you just BOTCHED!" 

_WHAT!?_ Kagura blinked. Squinted. Leaned down. "You're a…a _flea_ demon?" 

"And no less youkai than you, Queen Bee! You address me as Shyouga, or don't address me at all!" 

The irate little creature was hopping mad. Literally. Bouncing about an inch above the grass blades, its elderly gray mane flapping about it like an angry aura. The flea's appearance might have been comical, had her insults not hit a nerve… 

"What is your business, here?" Kagura asked. 

"Oh no you don't, elemental. _I'll_ be the one asking the questions, understand? And what I want to know is why in the seven hells you scared him away!" 

Kagura took a step back. "You mean…K…K…" she swallowed, having great difficulty even saying his name. "Kou--?" 

"The wolf prince! Who else!?" 

"I…" her voice faltered, as her mind raced to make sense of this ridiculous visitor. "That's…not your concern." 

"The hell it isn't! After all the work I invested in you two--" 

"What work?" Kagura didn't like where this was going. Not at all. 

"Doesn't matter," she said, her little cylindrical nose twitching with each syllable. "What matters is that you pull your head out of your ass, get on that wispy feather of yours and go apologize!" 

"How _dare_ you..." The mandate, and the tone in which it was given raised up all Kagura's defenses. She couldn't stop herself from defending her actions to this complete stranger - who had no business butting in to begin with. "Kouga has his women," she snapped. "Over a dozen of them!" 

"Bah!" Shyouga spat. "They're nothing to him. You know that." 

"They're his WIVES!" 

"Not yet, you dolt." 

"You're…" she stopped. Leaned back, and his words came flooding back to her. The ones that had somehow been lost in the despair of hearing him say he was leaving. 

_I don't want them. My body doesn't want them. Because all I can think about is you_… 

She shook her head. How did she forget that part? Not thrilled about the conclusion that led to, Kagura deliberately turned all of her attention to the meddlesome flea youkai. "Who are you? Why the hell do you care about any of this?" 

"Because you're making a mistake!" the little critter spontaneously burst into tears. "All the souls out there, lost to solitude, and bitterness. Destiny deniers. All crying over," sniff, cough, "missed opportunities, and…and…" hiccup, squeak, "paths never taken!" She abruptly turned to the Northwest and shook an angry fist at the sky, "Curse you Myouga! Curse you to the grave for forsaking me!" 

Kagura took some shaky steps back, more than a little apprehensive. "Look. You've obviously got some issues you need to work out with yourself, so why don't I--" 

"SILENCE!" 

Kagura clapped her hands over her ears, and gawked. It was mind-boggling, she decided, that such a small creature could project so much volume. 

"You're very loud." 

"And you're dragging your feet. Go get him!" 

"Why am I explaining myself to you?" she asked crazily. Shyouga tapped her foot impatiently in the dirt until Kagura found herself arguing. Again. "It…it would never work, you stupid creature. His people are his life. They'd sooner kill me, just like he wanted to-" 

"Feh! Trivialities!" 

Her jaw dropped. "You..." she coughed shock, "you clearly don't understand the situation-" Kagura stopped, suddenly finding the missing piece to an earlier puzzle. "Wait… _You're_ the one that wrote him the letter…?" 

Shyouga stopped mid-speech, and blushed. 

Kagura clenched her hand into a fist. "Why you demented, little self-appointed match making-" 

"Get going! If you hurry, you might reach him before he gets home, and that way you won't have to deal with his people!" 

"I can't! Who will protect the village from the lesser youkai? The moon doesn't shine for three more days!" 

Shyouga looked abruptly smug, and Kagura just realized that she'd made a concession. She huffed and placed both hands on her hips. 

"If you think I'm going to jump at your orders, you've got another thing coming. I'm nobody's puppet. Understand?" 

The flea shook her tiny head and sighed heavily. "So so stupid. Oi, this one is so so stupid…" 

Kagura ignored her. "The only loyalties I have right now are to this village and its people. They are my priority until the dark cycle of this moon passes. And then, IF I go to Kouga's mountain, it'll be on my terms. Because _I_ decided to. Not because some waif of an insect thought she could strong arm me into going against my conviction. And quit calling me names!" 

As Kagura huffed down at the flea, she couldn't help but to wonder what would happen if she did go after him. She had no idea what she'd say. Had no idea what they could possibly become together. But the desire to see the wolf prince again was overwhelming, and a small part of her questioned whether or not she'd be able to wait the three full days before tracking Kouga down. There was her instinct, and there was her pride. 

And pride was a funny thing. 

* * *

**_Next Chapter_**

** 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 ~ 9 ~ 10 ~ 11 ~ 12 ~ 13 ~ 14 **


	10. Chapter 10

**_Chapter 10_**

* * *

The little flea demon had been a nuisance to say the least - even after the villagers returned the next day. As a matter of fact, the critter left only when night fell, as though the lesser youkai could possibly harm her when Kagura was fully armed. Shyouga's constant nagging and bitching had triggered the Wind User's stubbornness, and with as much as Kagura wanted to go and find Kouga right away, she stayed her ground the full three days… 

Nobody bossed _her_ around. She'd spent enough of her short life as Naraku's lackey. Never again, dammit. 

And yet she couldn't deny the feeling of uneasiness…of tardiness she got as she floated through the air now. To the Northern lands. To him. As though she were an idiot to wait so long to begin with. 

The towering mountain loomed up before her with its lush foliage, and multiple rock formations. She could feel the wolf youkai on the wind…their earthy carnal scent carried all the way up here. Though it was obviously faint. She had a quick wonderment of whether or not they'd lost any more of their territory. The mingled smell of other tribes told her it was a strong possibility. She reared in her airborne feather, and scanned the landscape. Did she seek him out? If his tribe saw her, it might result in a confrontation she'd just as soon avoid. 

Kagura lowered her feather to tarry amongst the tree tops as she considered. If all else failed, she could wait here until he picked up her scent. It's not like the rest of his tribe knew her well enough to catch her vibe on the wind- 

Something moved in her peripheral vision. Something fast. Distant. She turned her head, narrowed her gaze through the dense rows of trees… 

And saw it again, beyond the nearest cluster of foliage and beyond the slide of loose shale. A blur of obsidian and brown. Moving in the shadows as though to deliberately camouflage itself amongst the land. 

_Kouga…?_

It was him. She sensed it as readily as she sensed the change in weather. Her stomach vaulted, and her palms began to sweat. What was she supposed to say to him? Apologizing wasn't in her nature, but- 

She frowned, and sat up. _Where the hell is he going?_

The figure hesitated when it reached a large clearing. From this distance, she barely made out the flop of his ponytail as he jerked his attention to the left. The right. Then he bolted down the broken shale. 

The distance between them was growing, and Kagura followed him. The boy moved so fast, she had to ride the wind current at her top speed to make any gain. She finally caught up to him at the edge of the river, whirling her feather up and over until she disembarked, touching down right in front of him. 

His eyes widened dramatically, and he gasped, coming to a skidding halt. So shocked was he, that the great Kouga nearly fell on his rump trying to back away from her. His lack of composure lasted beyond what she'd anticipated. As though he were traumatized by her presence. 

"Kouga…" 

He tried to scowl…she could see it. Tried to project his usual cockiness, but there was an element of hurt that even he could not cover up. His frown was pained. Wounded. His eyes, anguished. 

"Kouga," she tried again, her throat constricting, "We need to talk…" 

He grimaced and backed against a tree. "Get out of here, Kagura," his voice was emotional. Raw. 

She wanted to reach out to him. "Not until I say what I came to say," she insisted. 

He broke eye contact, and clenched his hands into fists. "You've said enough…" 

Wolves howled in the distance then, and he looked over his shoulder in obvious anxiety. Kagura saw her opening and took it. 

"Need a lift?" 

His frantic eyes darted to her face, and he hesitated. With a whip of her hand, Kagura summoned her airborne feather, hovering it between them. She held her breath as she watched him in his increasingly paranoid state. The wolves howled again. Kouga swore. 

Kagura jerked her chin towards her feather. "Do you have a better option?" 

"I want nothing to do with you," he choked. "I'd rather..." his head spun to look behind him. His followers had reached the loose shale, its echo resounding in the back canyon. He spat a curse at the ground and glanced at her in desperate apprehension. "Fine. But once we're clear, you leave me the hell alone. Got it?" 

Having no intention of following through with his demand, she falsely nodded. Decision made, he lunged and flipped onto her airborne transit. With her heart slamming the breath from her lungs, she knelt down next to him, and didn't miss the cringe when her thigh brushed his arm. 

It made her wish she could retract everything she'd said to scare him away. She winced internally. _Did my words hurt you that badly, wolf boy?_

He noticed she was staring at him, and turned his back to her. "Hurry up." 

She shook herself to focus on the task at hand, and putting her anxieties aside, she quickly levitated them up and away. He laid flat on his back with his head turned so he could see off the feather's edge, no doubt staying low in case they were seen. Kagura assumed the direction he'd been heading, making sure to stay amongst the tree tops. 

The sounds of his followers faded. They moved well beyond the river, the nearby ravine, the sloping hills beyond that, and all the while Kouga wouldn't look at her. His gaze was fixed on some random spot on the ground while his jaw muscles jumped with tension from what she could only assume was her nearness. 

It made her feel so uncomfortable that she couldn't find the words to say until he requested for her to stop. 

"Here. Let me down," he said, abruptly sitting up. 

"No." 

He looked at her skeptically, the intensity of his cerulean eyes almost making her lose her nerve. "No?" 

She panicked, and instead of lowering them to the ground, Kagura impulsively shot them straight up into the air. He hissed and grabbed onto the fibers of the feather for leverage as the wind pressed down on them. 

"I don't want to play your _games_, Kagura!" he shouted against the peeling air friction. 

"You think I'd go out of my way to find you just so I could play games?" she asked, jerkily halting their ascent. 

His teeth flashed as the air currents wildly tossed his hair. "I don't know what you want, but I know what the hell I want, and that's off this cursed feather, and away from you!" 

"I don't want you away from me," the words just came out. "I didn't want you _away_ from me when you left the valley, you imbecile!" 

He froze. Blinked. Several awkward seconds passed until Kouga shook his head, his face slowly scrunching in disbelief. "Wha..._what?_" 

She squirmed under his stunned scrutiny, pursing her lips. There was no way out of explaining. _Damn, but this is uncomfortable. _ "You said you were going home. Like…like I didn't matter-" 

"I...never said that." 

"It's what I heard," she said ruefully. "It's what I thought you meant." 

A creased marred his brow, and he placed a palm against his forehead. "So..." pause, confusion, "What you're saying--" 

"I know what I said." 

"Is that you thought I was dropping you--" 

"I didn't mean it." 

"And to protect yourself--" 

"Any of it." 

"...you shut _me_ out, instead." 

She cowered, and a furious blush tinged her cheeks as he looked at her long and hard. Then with a great, heaving sigh, he massaged his temples as though battling a sudden headache. "You are so confused." 

She choked. "I'm here, aren't I?" 

"You've got more defenses up than an Imperial fortress, Kagura. I have _no_ idea what I'm going to do with you..." 

She bit back a reflexive retort, deciding that quiet humility was the best attitude, here - as though good behavior might make him consider her once more, despite the cruel things she'd said. 

After a slight pause, he shook his head and exhaled heavily, running a weary hand across his brow. "You honestly thought you didn't matter to me?" He snorted, and smirked bitterly. "If that were true, then I wouldn't be running away from my own ceremony." 

Her heart leapt as her stomach simultaneously dropped out. "Ceremony?" 

Nod. 

"You mean the one that gives you concubines?" 

Nod. 

"_Thirteen_ concubines?" 

He grimaced, drew his knees up to his chest and dropped his head between them. "Yep." 

"So you're still…" she hesitated, sparing a quick moment to mentally thwack herself for being so damned twitterpated. "Single?" 

He coughed, and looked up at her. The heaviness of his expressive eyes crinkled with an amused chuckle.Kagura's flush darkened as he smiled at her, despite the angst. Then, without a word he reached out, grabbed her forearm, and forcefully dragged her across the feather until she was cuddled securely between his drawn up legs and against the warmth of his thick chest. 

Kagura stiffened, assaulted by his dizzying nearness. He capitalized on her lack of composure and slid both hands around her small waist and nuzzled his face in her hair. 

"No, I'm not single," he whispered in her ear. "My heart is taken." 

The hairs on her arms raised, and for once, she didn't miss the underlying insinuation of his words. "Oh?" 

"Mm. And by the last person that should have it, no less," he exhaled in a half-laugh, "She's ill-tempered, arrogant, disrespectful of my authority-" 

Kagura snorted, and his grip tightened for reassurance. 

"She's also beautiful," he continued in a softer voice. "Her eyes are prettier than the lava fire, and twice as fierce. Her soul is an arc of light hatched out of shadow, inherent goodness born from hate. She is a goddess, mighty enough to slay entire populations with one flick of her hand, yet tender enough to fret over the safety of a small, human child." 

Kagura's throat constricted. Her eyes stung. Her chest swelled with emotion. She couldn't stop herself from swiveling in his arms to look at his face. His honest, handsome face. Eyes real. Expression, sincere. He nodded the affirmative, that he'd meant it. Every word. 

_Kouga…_ She reached up and touched his smooth, bronzed cheeks, covering them with her fair hands. The overwhelming response his words elicited in her soul expanded beyond her capacity, demanding an outlet. Words might have sufficed, but she didn't know how to say them. Hence, the powerful sentiment manifested itself through another venue - a surprise on both of their persons. 

She kissed him. 

He startled, as she used the liplock - that wholly stimulating gesture - to express things she wasn't yet brave enough to speak. He found his composure soon enough, and it all happened again. The entwining of their limbs, the fire in her belly, the tingling of parts of her body she didn't even know she had... And mixed in with it - making it twice as poignant - was this remarkable ache in her chest that made her want to both weep out loud, and soar to the heavens. 

Kagura made a silent concession right then. It was a small acceptance of the nature of their bond. She didn't pretend to understand it, but she knew how she felt - and her need to be with him was unquestionable, no matter how outrageous their attraction was. She couldn't see herself with anyone else. She didn't _want_ to be this way with anyone else. 

It ended too soon, and reluctantly at that. But there was an unsoken acknowledgement that the intimacy was far from a solution to their plight. Kagura pulled back enough to lock stares with Kouga's heavy-lidded, flushed face. 

"So what now?" she asked, with a slight smirk. "And I'd be more careful how you phrase your response this time, Kouga." 

Still in a passion-induced stupor, his eyes creased, but he didn't smile. She could almost see the burdens he'd been carrying sit right back on his shoulders now that there wasn't an intimate distraction to make him forget about them. 

"My people… You know they'd never accept us," he sighed heavily and combed his nails painstakingly through her hair. Then he kissed her forehead, and pulled her back against him. 

She had a brief, crazy moment of wondering how the hell she had gone from being the destroyer of his people to the object of his affection. He said, 'us'. As in a couple. As in a couple with a future... 

"Perhaps time will open up a path for you and I to take, because right now, I have no answer." 

"I'm not asking you to choose, Kouga," she said, still stunned that she'd kissed him, and was now letting him hold her. 

He rested his lips against her brow. "You have my word that I'll do everything I can to see you as often as possible. These past few days without you...without even the _promise_ of seeing you," he shuddered, "have been hell." 

That sweet sensation spread through her chest again.She absently traced his collar with her nail, fighting another urge to show him exactly how he made her feel when he said stuff like that. 

He shuddered at some hidden thought, making her recall how guarded he'd been when she'd found him. The hurt in his eyes, tension in his shoulders, and quiver to his lips... She found it strange that after she'd massacred his people, demeaned him, and nearly killed him on a number of different occasions, it was that one, spiteful dismissal in the valley that had broken his spirit. 

_Could this newfound emotion that we share be so powerful? That it is somehow stronger than betrayal, hatred, and death, combined?_

The thought blew her mind. 

"I must find a way to get out of the polygamy. Something believable, as I'm sure that just running away like I did," she felt him flinch at the memory, "will make them question both my sanity and competence." 

"Was it right during the ceremony that you fled?" 

He nodded, and grimaced unease. "Right before the vows were spoken." 

She could only imagine the spectacle he must have caused with his sudden departure, and was grateful she hadn't waited any longer to come find him. "What did you say?" 

He snorted. "That I sensed you on the wind. It was the only thing I could think of that they'd buy into, knowing well of my oath for revenge." 

She quirked a brow, wondering if forces beyond her comprehension were at work in bringing them together. "And then I show up. Quite a coincidence." 

"Yeah." 

"Well," she pondered, all for coming up with a good reason to keep those females' hands off him, "You can tell them it doesn't work…" 

He frowned curiosity at her. "Hm?" 

She looked pointedly down at his fur wrap. "The part of you that fathers children-" 

"Bah!" He stiffened, and leaned away from her. "That's idiocy! I can't tell them _that_!" 

"But why not?" 

"Because!" He fumbled inarticulately over jarbled words before his tongue and cheek caught up with his brain, "A male's virility is part of his status. His power. Lose that, and he loses respect!" 

"But at least your brides-to-be would lose interest, and then you wouldn't have to worry--" 

"I'll NOT feign impotence!" 

Kagura couldn't help it. His reaction was so dynamic, she started to laugh. 

"What's so funny!?" 

"You," she sniggered, "Your face is redder than a baboon's ass." 

His jaw dropped in shocked offense. "You dare to make that comparison!?" 

She let out a contented sigh, and patted his chest, prefering banter over seriousness. Teasing him was less depressing. 

"You'd be smart to take this issue more seriously, my little hellcat, or you'll end up sharing me with-" 

Her smile straightened. "I don't share." 

"Okay then," he said with finality. Kouga gradually relaxed, and directed his gaze randomly over the edge of the feather as his arms draped heavily around her shoulders. Several quiet moments passed between them as they contemplated their dilemma. 

She knew the youroukozu was an intrinsic part of who Kouga was. He loved them. Lived for them. Worried about them. There was no lawful way he could have them both. And if a few hidden moments were all he could give her, then at least she had _those_. 

_Am I settling? Am I a fool to think that I can have a piece of your life, Kouga?_ she asked silently. _To hope for a blissful ending to something that's so obviously hopeless?_

"There has to be a way…" It was a general comment, but he interpreted it specifically. 

"I'll lie to them," he said. "How well do you know your regions? This land's history?" 

"I know some…" 

"Then give me names. Civilizations from years past - an emperor that was felled by betrayal from within. By his own family…" he said. "Something with enough truth to fit the key figure of a jealous concubine." 

She saw where he was going, and thought it was brilliant. "A jealous concubine that inadvertently brought ruin to a great people... Yes. I could create aged parchments for you. Wind worn. Sepia brown. Ancient historical scrolls with a few spells tossed in. You can say you stole them from me before I fled, and after reading their contents -" 

"--decide that my life and leadership would better be preserved if I refused to take multiple wives, because of my status." His eyes brightened. "Oh, they'd be angry. They'd think I was being overly cautious. But they wouldn't feel betrayed, which is what it comes down to." 

She felt an ounce of relief. It would take her a day or two to write up, and erode the parchments. _That's one obstacle out of the way…_ "How much time do you have with me?" 

His eyes narrowed. "Another tribe has been invading our less-guarded areas. They're getting braver by the day. I don't dare stay away too long." 

Kagura felt another pang of regret. It was her fault they were endangered to begin with. "I could protect your lands-" 

"No. My people would never accept your help. You know that." 

She pursed her lips. There was so much opposition. She tried to ignore a sudden, gut feeling that the drama for them was just beginning. 

_Will we survive it, Kouga?_

Her eyes moistened at the thought of a life without him, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his chest. After a moment, he rubbed her back, whispering the words of some old tribal song in her hair. 

She soaked up his warmth and his comfort…as much as she could. _Better not to think on it_, she thought as she blinked back the sting from her eyes. _Better to take it a day at a time._ Sucking up her breath, Kagura tried her best to exhale the anxiety. Then she changed the subject to something less depressing. 

"So," she sniffled and cleared her throat. "Ever heard of a flea demon named Shyouga?" 

* * *

**_Next Chapter_**

** 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 ~ 9 ~ 10 ~ 11 ~ 12 ~ 13 ~ 14 **


	11. Chapter 11

**_Chapter 11_**

* * *

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

He was the leader of an endangered people. The tremendous, suffocating responsibilities weren't easy to leave behind when he snuck away like this, promising to strangle him with a psychological noose the further away he got. Especially now that he didn't even make up excuses anymore - he just disappeared. That's why he always insisted on doing something that demanded every last drop of his attention when he'd secretly meet with the Wind User. 

He looked behind him. Something like..._this..._

Kouga paddled furiously as the roll of water started to loom up behind him. It was massive, complete with its own watery moan as it started to curl over itself. With an almost immature glee, he yelped as the wave sucked him back, anticipating one hell of a ride in its churning tunnel. 

But the damn thing betrayed him. He tried to body surf half way up, but the moving water latched onto his thighs with a force, and he found himself going up the face with dizzying speed, and coming out top. 

His crazed grin straightened. His eyes widened dramatically, the only sound he had time to make was a desperate, doomed 'Whoop!' as the monstrous wave spanked him down. 

Winded, he was rolled around like an inanimate pelt, having no more control of his body than would a head on a stick. Everything went black as he tumbled through water and sand, and his ears were filled with the wild thumping of his own heart, and the muffled underwater sound of a crashing wave. 

His frantic limbs finally touched bottom, and he kicked violently, sending him catapulting straight up through the surface, and into the air. The grin returned, and he landed closer to shore, splashing up to his waist. The salty liquid ran down his bare chest in rivulets, and he flung his head back, whipping his hair away from his face. With an exhilarated smile, he sought out the reserved beauty sitting on the sandy shore. 

Using her feather as a mat, Kagura was situated with her legs tucked in a ladylike fashion to the side. Her seashell white kimono clung with a snug neatness to her body - giving off her usual cocktail of magnetic sophistication. Modest sensuality. Half the time he didn't know whether to kiss her or bring her offerings. 

"It's a good thing you weren't born a fish, wolf boy," she called out. "It would seem that in the water, you have all the coordination of a panda on stilts." 

Kouga motioned with his dripping hand, beckoning her. "You want to try this. I know you do." 

She rolled her eyes, but he could see her amusement easily enough. "Please. The water is dirty. And it smells." 

He waded through the waves towards her, deciding she might need encouragement in the form of brute strength, but alas, Kagura knew him too well. She quirked a brow and pointed her finger at the sky, clearly insinuating that she'd take to the air if he came any closer. 

He halted. "It's just a matter of time," he threatened good-naturedly. "I'll get you in here, little bird. Get your hair wet, your clothes ruined, and all," 

"Hmph." With a smirk, she opened her fan and batted her lashes demurely from behind it. Kouga laughed. She was toying with him. He loved it when she did that. Her pretty heart-shaped face was half-hidden, her smooth obsidian hair reflecting the sun... He considered her. Then he considered the waves... 

Perhaps the ocean could wait. 

_But I'll have to catch her, first._

As he was pondering how, she deliberately held his gaze with those mesmerizing scarlet eyes. Delighted, he thought she was flirting with him - that was until a tremendous force slapped into the back of his head and shoved him in the water. 

A wave. And he hadn't even sensed it coming. 

Kouga barely had time to think a mental curse at his own foolishness as he was sent tumbling through the water again. This time, his own knee somehow managed to wedge in his eye socket - not a pleasant sensation. It faded him momentarily. 

Which gave him a sudden idea. 

When the wave settled enough for him to be able to tell which direction was up, Kouga forced his body to go limp. He held his breath, floating prone like a dead man near the surface. 

_Exactly_ like a dead man. With a smirk, he waited. After several moments, he heard the warbled cry of an effeminate voice through the water. He heard it again. Louder. Panicked. 

_Heh. Any moment nooooowww …oooOOOW!_

Oh, she rescued him, all right. Yanked his happy ass right out of the water… 

By his hair. 

"NnnggGGYAH!" Kouga squirmed violently, swatting above his head like a humming bird on a yo-yo. Her grip was out of his reach and with a painful tug, she fish-lined him up and over onto her hovering feather, peering at him in perplexed worry. But before she could voice her concern, he sat up and barked at her. 

"How many limbs to I have!?" 

She sat back, clearly stupefied. "I thought you were…" her face scrunched. "Limbs?" 

"Count 'em! One!" He kicked one foot out. "Two!" The other. "Three. Four!" Held both hands in front of her face. "That's FOUR body parts you could have grabbed besides my HAIR!" 

"But you…you weren't moving, and I…" she frowned, then her eyes widened. She scooted back. "No…oh no…" 

He flashed his fangs, and crouched. "Oh yes." 

A split second later, she screamed as he tackled her off the feather and into the water. 

* * *

She tried to be angry with him. Making empty threats, and struggling in his grip like a tiger on a chain… But even Kagura wasn't prepared for the fun of frolicking in the ocean, and inevitably lost every last shred of disdain when they caught their first wave. And then she lost all her dignified composure. The way she'd yipped, and gripped his neck when he tucked her in and caught the curl… Kouga's smile must have split his face. 

She made sounds of terrified delight as they body surfed through the funnel of water…little inarticulate curses, and high-pitched outbursts every time they'd drop…all the while clinging to him as though he were a palm tree in a wind storm. 

And Kouga was loving every second of it. It felt so good to laugh out loud. He knew his spirit shouldn't have been free enough to be given to such hearty guffaws…but she brought it out in him. Every time. Kouga thought he'd never enjoyed someone's company so much. 

These past three months, he'd tried to discipline himself, only sneaking away to see her twice between cycles. That little flea youkai, Shyouga, had stepped in as a perfect messenger, with her cave bat, and all. But the time they shared was so stimulating…so rejuvenating, that he'd become addicted to it, and twice a month had quickly turned into once a week. 

And even that wasn't enough. 

It was just a pity that for every ounce of joy she gave him, it was accompanied by an equal amount of guilt… 

"Kouga." 

He buried it. "Hm?" 

"You know I can walk, right?" 

He wasn't quite ready to put her down yet, enjoying her pleasant curvy weight in his arms as he marched up the shore. "You said you didn't want to get dirty." 

She scoffed, the puff of her exhale tickling his shoulder. "You dunk me in the ocean water, and then feign chivalry?" She tugged on his ear until he grunted. "Idiot." 

A corner of his lip lifted, and he trudged them a bit further until they came to an inclined spread of the beach. She startled when he laid her in the sand, grimacing at how it stuck to everything. 

Kouga ignored her protests and kissed her neck before collapsing on the beach beside her. He eagerly rolled on his back to absorb the rays, already feeling the warm sun evaporate the ocean droplets from his bronzing skin. 

Kagura flopped her soaking hair over one shoulder, jerkily wringing the water from it with both hands. But her fingers had gotten sandy as well, and she wrinkled her nose in distaste as she noted the tiny granules littering her black tresses. 

Kouga laughed. "Pout all you want, woman. I saw the look on your face when we caught that first wave." 

Kagura's scarlet eyes narrowed at him through dripping bangs. "That was horrified denial, brat. Unlike you, I understand the raw elemental power of the ocean." 

Kouga ignored her and tugged on the hem of her kimono. "Do you have anything on underneath that?" he asked. 

She gave him a guarded look. "Yes…" 

"Then take it off," he looked pointedly down at his own lack of attire, save the pelt around his hips. "Why be cold and damp when you can be dry and warm?" 

She followed his gaze with a slitted stare, and despite her projection of disinterest, Kouga caught on all too quickly how her eyes lingered on the contours of his chest, his biceps… His abdomen and legs… 

It was foolish, but for all the effect her unintentional appreciation was having on him, Kouga thought he could watch her watch _him_ for the rest of the day, and not particularly mind. 

"My…" she turned her awkward attention to her hands in her lap, "My skin is fair. It'll burn…" 

"You're a demon, foolish girl. It'll heal itself before you even feel the sting." 

Her brow furrowed, clueing him into her flustered state before she covered it up by shrugging. "I'm fine." 

Kouga studied her. Her tense posture, her refusal to meet his eyes… There was more to this than she was letting on, and so in his usual tactful manner, he inquired. "What are you hiding?" 

She coughed surprise. "Nothing!" 

"Then toss aside those wet rags, and let the sun dry you." 

"I said I'm fine!" 

He said nothing. Just tried desperately to see beyond her odd behavior, until she finally huffed defeat and peeled off her kimono, discarded it to the side. Her silk undergarments were surprisingly baggy, dangling modestly from the straps on her ivory shoulders to below her breasts. And then there was another wrap around her hips. It was cute. Might have looked frumpy on another female, but on Kagura, he just wanted to pick her up and squeeze her. And then some. 

Especially when she tried to stay mad at him. Kouga laughed, and reached over to brush his fingers across her forearm. "That's better, isn't it? What were you so worried about?" 

She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it as her expression softened into something pleading. Almost vulnerable. And then he remembered. 

Her scar. 

A permanent reminder, a large, unsightly brand on her body of her loathed creator. Of course she was ashamed of it. Kouga tried to assuage her discomfort by rolling his eyes and tilting his head back so she could see he wasn't repulsed by it. 

She protested and twisted to keep it out of his view, but he grabbed her arm and tugged it forward, until he got a demonstrative view of...the... 

"Kagura," he breathed in confused awe, reaching up a hesitant hand to touch her bare spine. "It's…_gone…_" 

She went rigid, and stared at him over her shoulder. "What? What do you _mean_ it's gone?" 

He half-turned in the sand, and shifted her around to get a closer look. He ran his nails lightly over her shoulder blades, and around her sides, where the enflamed mark used to dimple her skin. There was nothing. Her back was as unblemished and soft as the rest of her… 

"Wait," he said, as he lifted the material of her undergarments up off her spine to see a small, faded discoloration between her shoulder blades. "No. Not gone, but shrinking. And fading." 

She choked. "You're not...are you joking? Because if you are--" She twisted herself, trying desperately to see it, her hopeful enthusiasm contagious. "It's really disappearing from my skin?" 

"You should know I wouldn't joke about something like this." 

She relaxed, her pretty face lifting with wonderment. "Hn. Imagine that." 

Kouga sat up, his lips pulled back in a smile. It pleased him that he'd played a part in giving her such good news. At least he was making _someone_ happy, since his tribe was... 

_Agh. Dammit…_ Unbidden, the correlation to the wolf youkai triggered a very poignant guilt that had been plaguing him ever since he started sneaking away to see the Wind User - of tribal tensions, more lost territory, the hovering threat of those cursed weasel demons… And here he was, laying on a beautiful beach with a beautiful elemental demon, who had more wolf youkai blood on her hands than Death, himself. 

His judgment was unbelievably impaired when it came to her, and the conflict it caused within him was maddening. Kagura had started to absently comment on the sticky sand again when he interrupted her. 

"Kagura…" 

She paused. "Hm?" 

"Talk to me." 

Her face got serious. He knew she'd heard his unasked pleas. _Distract me from my thoughts… Save me from my despair…_ After all, she'd been dealing with his on/off behavior for three months now. She shifted gears, and reached out to him. He exhaled heavily and let her pull him into her lap, nestling his face against the damp, but soft skin of her stomach. 

"Talk to you…" she repeated while draping an arm across his chest, "Let's see. That human girl - the one that brings me my offerings-" 

"Your flowers," he corrected, one corner of his lip twitching up. "Your bouquets of aromatic shrubbery," he teased. "You're such a brutal, _vicious _patron god…heh, ow!" She pinched his side, but it had worked. His mind was already focusing on something lighter. 

"Anyhow," she said sternly, but he didn't miss the pleasant crease in her eyes. "I took her up on my feather, the other day. I've never seen a child look so delighted," she snorted softly. "It was such a simple thing. But the expression on her face…" 

_My, how you've changed..._ Kouga lost himself in thought as he watched her. She was still cynical, and guarded. But more often than not, he saw glimpses of the person she was still trying to hide from him. The person she was evolving into. Like right now. He decided to test it. 

"You know, a barrier would rid you of your obligation there. Then you'd be free to do as you please during the days when the moon is black." 

Her crimson eyes darkened in the shadow of heavy black lashes as they fixed on some random point on the beach. "True," she said quietly, "But the lifestyle suits me. Besides, it's not like I have anywhere else to go." 

He stopped himself. He almost said, _you could live with me, _ but quickly realized how foolish that would have been. For all he wanted her, he knew that wasn't an option. Not ever. He winced anew at the anxiety as it pressed down on his consciousness. 

She saw it. She must have, because he was snapped out of it by a brief, but firm shake, and another shot at changing subjects. "So explain to me what this is," Kagura said. "This time..._together..._" 

He blinked. Thought. Almost smiled as he made the correlation. "This, I believe, my little hellcat, is what Kagome referred to as 'dating'." 

"Dating?" 

"Mm." He recalled the human girl's words on that day months ago, by their well. "Spending time together. 'Having fun.' Getting to know each other." 

Her lips thinned, and she almost looked…disappointed? "That's all, then...?" 

He held her gaze, and lifted a hand up to caress her chin, recognizing there was so much more to it. To them. "No…" 

A brief silence followed, until her anxiousness got the better of her. "So...is this how you felt for that human? Kagome?" 

He startled. What a question. She tried to hide it, but Kouga could see the underlying insecurity. The need to know. He wondered how long she'd been pondering their relationship. It was odd to think about Kagome. He'd almost forgotten about her these past few months. But it was an easy answer. "There is little comparison." 

Her arm stiffened across his chest, but before the reserved hurt in her eyes could materialize into something more, he clarified. 

"She had the ability to find shards. Shards would make me more powerful. Made sense to me, so I declared her as my woman." 

Kagura snorted at his arrogance. He let her. 

"But she refused. She tried to explain to me once that I didn't love her. Tried to explain that I didn't know her well enough to care for her so deeply," he smiled ruefully at his own ignorance back then. "And after these last three months, I realize now that she was right." 

If she'd expected him to open up like this, she sure didn't act like it. Kagura blinked at him widely. Leaned back, no doubt waiting for him to confirm the unspoken words before she let herself believe them. 

"Every day I spend without you, I grow increasingly anxious. It's as though you…you…_nourish_ my soul, Kagura. No one - not even Kagome - has ever had that effect on me." He stopped himself before he said more. For some reason, he'd had no problem telling Kagome that he loved her, back before Naraku was destroyed. The words would fall off his tongue as easily as a threat. But now? With Kagura? It was odd, but he was reluctant, even though the sentiment was genuine this time. 

Perhaps it had something to do with the finality of it. To declare his love for her would mean, for him, that he'd have to act on it. And he couldn't. He could never bring her home to the youroukozu. And that frustrated him as much as the loss of territory. Perhaps even more. 

"You're worrying again," she said, matter-of-factly. Kagura knew him too well. 

He sighed. "I know…" 

Pause. "You can talk to me about your tribe, you know," she said, sifting her fingers through his bangs. 

"Why worry you with things you can't change?" 

She frowned. "Because it's on your mind." 

That was all she had to say. After all, in those moments when _her_ spirits seemed heavy, he was always quick to pester her until she told him what was wrong. There was a need to share her troubles. And he shouldn't be surprised that it was mutual. 

She nudged him. "Is it your females? The ones you were supposed to marry?" 

He took a deep breath and shook his head. "There's always tension, there. But they don't give me as many daggered looks, now. I tried to match them up with the most…_opportunistic_ males in the group, and I think they're finally getting some of the attention that they needed. Makes the situation less strained. Makes them less angry that I'm so _'paranoid about betrayal from within because of someone else's history'_." 

"So the scrolls I made for you worked, then?" 

"They worked enough." It wasn't an honest answer, but he didn't want to go into that. The truth was, the cover had barely worked. His tribe's confidence in him _had_ waned because of his refusal to take brides. It was subtle, but there. Each day the friction rose amongst his people, and each day he questioned if he could really pull off this secret romantic rendezvous with the wolf youkai's greatest murderer. 

Especially now that… "We lost more land last week," he conceded, battling a tightening in his chest. "They just moved there. The entire West side is gone." 

She stiffened, her eyes narrowing. "Did you confront them?" 

He nodded. "It didn't go well." The ache in his chest spread to his stomach. "A fight ensued. Nearly killed three of my comrades, and gave me wounds that would put your more vicious attacks to shame. I got the vibe that they left us alive just so they could toy with us later." 

"What kind of demons were they, Kouga?" 

His hand clenched into a fist. "Weasel." 

She tugged his hair involuntarily, and emitted a throaty growl. "I don't like the weasel youkai." 

He recalled that it was the weasel demons who had attacked her humans' village. "They're one step above the lesser youkai. They're maniacal. Pointless. They eat their own children…" 

"Dammit, Kouga," she trembled, and he could sense her fear for him. "Weasel demons are dangerous enemies, not unlike the tiger people who drove your kind from the mountain to begin with. What they lack in brute strength, they make up for in numbers. They're a nasty, nasty breed. You have to let me help you--" 

"Your presence could only make things worse. The tribe would forget all else, and wait for me to kill you, and we both know that's not happening." He grimaced. "I don't want to be put in that situation. Besides," he complained, "that might make some of our other problems worse." 

"Other problems? There's more?" 

Kouga chuckled without mirth. "Only that four of Poruka's wives are pregnant." 

She paused. "Shouldn't that…be a good thing?" 

"Not if you consider that Poruka only sleeps with one of them." 

Her brow furrowed in consternation. Then it lifted, her mouth making a small, 'O'. "So…" she shook her head, bewildered, "So which one of your comrades has enough stamina to not only maintain relationships with his 13 concubines, but somehow manages to have a few affairs on the side??" 

Kouga shook his head. "None of them." 

This time it took a few moments longer for her to grasp what was happening. She coughed surprise. "You mean they've gone outside their species for sexual comfort?" 

Kouga nodded. "And tell me _that_ isn't a recipe for disaster. We're surrounded by kitsune, and tanuki, who have a very structured way of living. Adults are mated. Without fail. Which means there are some pretty angry wives out there who are smelling _our_ females on _their_ husbands. It's going to blow up soon. I know it is. And as for their pups? Where will they belong?" He put a weary hand over his eyes, rubbing his temples. 

She removed his hand, and continued the administrations for him, pressing her delicate fingers in circles across his brow, his scalp, his neck. Despite the tempest in his head, Kouga found himself relaxing under the sensation of her nails on his skin. 

"I could help you…" she said again. 

"Then keep doing that," he said, kissing her fingers as they passed his lips. "I like it when you do that." 

She smiled ruefully. "This?" She brought up her other hand to join the first. 

Kouga exhaled in a purring moan. "Mmm…" 

"Well, with as hyper as you are, I sometimes think these little massages are the only things that will keep you still." 

He smirked. "Oh, I wouldn't say that." 

He felt her blush before he saw it. Even after all this time and she was still shy around him. He loved that. Kagura. Shy. Who would have ever thought? 

Her bangs fell in her eyes as she looked down at him, and she stuck her bottom lip out and blew, fluffing them to the side. The gesture, for some wild reason made him smile. 

_Shy and pretty._ There was no better combination. On impulse - he'd been doing a lot of that, lately - Kouga lifted a slow hand until it was hooked snugly behind her neck. Her flush deepened, and her eyes crinkled knowingly. He only had to tug once, and she met him half way. 

The ocean was on her lips. The salt on her skin. He didn't mean to kiss her so hard so soon, but his common sense gave way to reflex, and reflex turned to passion, and passion was getting unbearably difficult to temper as of late. 

As a matter of fact, it was like pulling his nails out to stop every time they started. He felt the vibration of her startled moan against his mouth, which was quickly followed by a tightened grip on his biceps. A brush of her bare thigh, and press of her firm abs quickly reminded him that they were hardly dressed. 

Oh yeah. It was going to be hell to halt his advances this time. Complete hell. 

* * * 

Was it a whimper? 

Kagura blinked her eyes open from the lazy stupor his intimacy always left her in, to frown down at the broad moreno shoulder barring her lips. He made the sound again, muffling it in her hair. 

_Hn. A whimper…_ She shifted in the sand and rubbed a hesitant hand along his shoulder blades. He was clinging to her. Had gone from frantic kisses and those warm, maddening caresses to a taut, rigid embrace - as though he suddenly feared she was going to slip away from him into the afterlife. 

"Kou…Kouga…?" 

Deep breath, shuddering exhale. No response. 

Alarmed, she turned her head. "_Kouga…_" 

A few more seconds of heavy breathing, and he dropped his hands to her waist, and held her. Just held her. "You put too much faith in me, Kagura," he choked, his voice rough. 

She paused, her disappointment that the session had ended turning to alarm. "Faith?" 

"You never stop me." 

They'd just been kissing, hadn't they? "Stop you?" 

He exhaled in a despairing chuckle. "Makes it hard to pull away when the only signals I'm getting from you are those of consent. As though you would have me to ravish you for days on end-" 

She choked, but he went on as though he'd said nothing out of the ordinary. 

"If you don't start denying me, then one of these days, I might just keep going." 

_Keep going…_ The suggestion went right past her barriers, and triggered her heart beat, which promptly went from a lethargic thumping to a galloping pitter patter. She considered herself to have a pretty strong will, but Kouga had an amazing way of rendering it powerless. Deny him? While he had her in this blissful, inebriated state? The words came out before she thought to phrase them with her usual sarcasm. "You probably _could_ keep going," she confessed. 

He snorted and pulled back enough to nuzzle her neck. "You're not helping," he moaned. 

In light of her recent self-revelation, she suddenly found herself _very_ curious as to why he'd never taken advantage of her when her guard was down. It went against everything she was conditioned to believe about the opposite sex. "Why…" she cleared her throat and tried again. "Why _do_ you stop, Kouga?" There. She asked it. 

He stiffened, clearly caught off guard. Nervous, she began to ramble. "I don't understand. I thought it was…_stronger_ for your gender. That all males were inherently opportunistic in regards to…procreating..." 

Pause. "Yes." 

"But yet _you_ have self-restraint..." she paused, and then it dawned on her. Something that made perfect sense. "You're afraid I'd end up with child…" 

His breath brushed across her cheek as he pulled back just enough to lock stares with her. His sapphire eyes glistened - not with need, but with emotion. He shook his head slowly. "That's…not it." 

His intensity stole her words. She could only blink as the warm calluses of his hands cupped her face, the rough ends of his thumbs running across her lips... His mouth opened and closed twice before he found his voice. 

"It's that you..." he hesitated, brow furrowed, his complete attention making her feel as though she were the most significant thing in the world, "you mean _more_ to me than that, Kagura..." 

* * * _You mean more to me than that..._

Kouga knew this wouldn't last. This halfway, secretive attempt at a relationship he wanted more than life. His heart and spirit yearned for her, and his body wanted her so bad, it hurt. Literally - evidenced by the limp he'd had half the way home. 

But to cross that line - to indulge in their carnal attraction without taking on the responsibilities that went with that… She really _would_ become his mistress on the side, then. A cheap, and unworthy role for a female he treasured more than breath. And he respected her. What's more, he respected what they had. 

_If she's willing, I'll seal myself to her,_ he thought with rising hope. _The tribe doesn't have to know. I'll commit myself to her in name and in action..._

It would be a precarious balance, but one he was willing to..._risk_... 

_Wha...?_ His gaze shot towards the North. _Blood?_

The scent of it on the wind abruptly distracted him. He'd just passed the river, and was nearing the base of his mountain, and the evening chill brought more than just the promise of home and hearth. Subliminal alarms went off in his head, and he began to tremble. Kouga came to a skidding halt, and sniffed at the air. 

No. Not just blood, but shorn bowels, bones, and tendons. It was death. And it was familiar. Sickeningly familiar. His stomach dropped out, as it became painfully obvious where he was all day, and where he should have been. 

_My tribe…!_

* * *

**_Next Chapter_**

** 1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 ~ 9 ~ 10 ~ 11 ~ 12 ~ 13 ~ 14 **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: For a telling of what Kouga found when he found when he arrived at his mountain, go to the Missing Scenes link on my site.**

**_Chapter 12_**

* * *

Usually when little Shyouga showed up on her thick-bodied, bristle-furred cave bat, carrying the much-anticipated message of when and where Kouga could rendezvous - Kagura awaited the news with a casual ease. It was a _fake_ casual ease, but projecting disinterest was her signature characteristic. One she didn't like to compromise, no matter how excited or giddy the wolf prince made her. 

But it had been nearly a month. Twenty-eight and a half days since the last time they'd seen each other. She hadn't heard _from_ him. About him. Nothing. For reasons that still eluded her, she nearly went insane with anxiety. Was he okay? Was he trapped? Did she do something to inadvertently repel him? Hence, when she finally caught wind of the familiar winged blot approaching in the Northern sky, Kagura flew up and nearly strangled the flea youkai in her impatience. 

And now here she was, half a day later, in a location unnervingly close to the boundaries of Kouga's territory, waiting for him to show up. 

_Why here? Why so close to his tribe?_ Darting crimson, eyes scanned the trees through heavy, obsidian bangs. Sharp, manicured nails drummed against folded forearms, and quick, pulsing breaths panted evenly between rosy pursed lips far too quickly to be relaxed. 

She wanted to see him so bad, it- 

A soft crunch of leaves sounded behind her, and she swiveled around. "Kouga?" 

No more waiting. At last. His familiar tall, wild form came to a slow stop several yards from her. Her heart did summersaults when she saw him, and she couldn't stop the small smile that lifted the corners of her mouth. "It's been a while," she said. "I was beginning to...think..." And then she saw it. Felt it. In the way he stayed in the shadows of the tree. And the way his expression seemed hidden. There was no exuberant greeting. No ear-splitting grin. No crossing the distance between them and smothering her with kisses, like he usually did. Her earlier excitement quickly turned to a near nausea… 

A terrible moment of silence passed between them. She tried to read his eyes, but they were avoiding her like a nightcrawler hiding from the sunlight. She tried to take a step towards him, but halted when she saw his shoulders tense. Something had happened. Something bad. 

"Gods, Kouga. Tell me what's wrong!" 

He flinched at her words, and bowed his head until his chin rested against his collarbone. His hands curled into fists. She watched him struggle for several agonizing seconds until it finally pushed past his tongue. "It's _over_, Kagura." 

Those words…so much like knives... "Wha…" she swallowed through a rapidly constricting throat. "_What?_" 

His face finally lifted, and he met her gaze with pained, narrowed eyes. "I'm sorry…" 

"Us," she breathed, as her legs grew weak. "You mean us..." 

He grimaced and looked away. 

The nausea grew stronger. Her hands fell at her sides, and she bit her lower lip as it began to tremble. Never seeing him again, never touching, kissing, laughing with him again flashed across her mind. Her eyes began to sting, her pride momentarily forgotten. "You…you can't mean this…" 

He said nothing, but his expression terrified her. Every muscle in it was stone-still, a schooled mask of morbid resolve. But his eyes…those beautiful sapphire eyes were still potent windows of despair, and despite his face, she could still feel the agony of a thousand tragedies emanating from his soul. 

They'd come too far. There was no falsness between them anymore. Kagura couldn't pretend to write him off for his rejection. She couldn't be angry with him. She couldn't even act as though it didn't matter. 

Because it did. 

"Kouga...whatever it is, I...I can help you through it…" She ignored his rueful, agonizing silence, and moved towards him as she bludgeoned on. "You deny me my help, but we both know I can protect your tribe from your enemies more readily than you ever could! A sentinel. Their protector!" the words sounded ridiculous to even her ears, as she knew full well that the yourouzoku were too proud to ever let that happen. 

But 'ridiculous' was all she had left. 

"I could wear a disguise, and cover up my scent. Or raise an army of the undead to defend them…" She'd neared him enough to feel the tension and heat radiate off his body, and cringed inside when he closed his eyes to keep from seeing her. 

A final, desperate solution began to form in her mind, and she gave it voice as it played out. "_You_ were able to let go of our past, and see me for what I'd become," she didn't dare say the word 'forgive'. It almost didn't apply. "And that happened when…" she looked at her hands, trying to remember at what point he'd changed, "when you had your chance to kill me…" her eyes widened. "Yes. At some point during my demise, the Wolf stopped ripping my skin and breaking my bones-" 

"Shut up, Kagura-" 

"And if I gave myself in surrender to the survivors of your tribe, and let them mutilate-" 

"Kagura," he hissed. 

"-my body until they felt as though they'd obtained their vengeance--" 

"NO!" He barked, finally breaking composure and roughly grabbing her face in his shaky hands. "Gods, Kagura. No. Don't even consider that. They wouldn't stop until your spirit left your body." 

She blinked wetly, feeling every one of his warm calluses against her cheek. "But Kouga…" 

He quieted her with a sudden, crushing embrace, wrapping his forearms around her back, and holding her to him more forcefully than he ever had. "Foolish creature," he breathed, "This is killing me, don't you see that? If you sacrificed yourself on top of everything else, then this heartbreak really would put me in my grave." 

Tears rolled down her cheeks in hot lines, and she clung to his armor, wishing for all the world that she could freeze this moment, and keep him forever. "More of your people's lives were lost, then," she stammered, "because of us." 

"Yes…" 

Understanding made it no less terrible. He released her all too soon, with a firm kiss to her brow. "Had…had our circumstance been different, I would have made you my queen," he whispered, and then pulled back enough to meet her eyes. 

"Kagura. I love you." 

She gaped, too stupefied to respond. Having made his final confession, Kouga's mask quickly fell back in place as he moved away from her. She might have stopped him, had his last three words not pinned her feet to the ground. And so just as abruptly as he'd arrived, Kouga fled. She instinctively called after him, a huge part of her still in denial, but he kept on. And when he disappeared, the strength left her legs. Kagura collapsed on the ground in a ruffled heap. 

_No no no no…_ she rocked back and forth, her nails ripping holes in the grass. Soil smudged her silken kimono, and wisps of hair fell from its barrette. Small weepy noises emanated from her lips as she dealt with an unparalleled sense of abandonment. Of loss. Of being severed from someone that she couldn't imagine a life without. 

Perhaps she was going insane. Or perhaps the despair of losing him was clouding her judgement, but Kagura's mind still raced to find an impossible loophole…a way that she could merit his tribe's respect…enough to let her claim him for her own. 

_Dammit, Kouga. How am I supposed to just accept this?_ she wailed internally. _I can't! And…and I won't._

She stiffened, surprised to hear her familiar strength fill those last words with an arrogant timbre. It felt so good, she said it again. 

"I won't!" 

Better still. She sat up. Stood up. And took several deep breaths. Her earlier idea of sacrificing herself to his tribe took form again. It was a tenacious notion that wouldn't leave her mind, so she decided to trust in it. More planning was in order. A _lot_ more planning. But it would be worth it. _He_ was worth it, and if she died trying to get him back, then _that_ was worth it. The mighty Wind User wasn't sure about much in this new world of sunlight and hope… 

But she was sure about Kouga. 

And that was reason enough. 

* * *

**A WEEK LATER**

Kouga swore liberally, cursing the day, and the weather that went with it. 

The cold chill, and pelting droplets muddled scents to the point where his nose was useless. And what's worse, half his men along with the most able-bodied females had gone hunting down in the lower regions in preparation for the onset of winter, leaving them more vulnerable than they should have been. Something their enemies had picked up on, all too quickly. 

"Where are they coming from!?" he backed into Poruka, and quickly took inventory of the few comrades fighting alongside him. 

"Everywhere!" Poruka yipped, as he reached out to grab a fistful of weasel ear, and slam its skull into the ground. Kouga growled as he swiped at the nearest foe, sharp claws ripping through fur and bone. The mongrel opened its mouth in a silent scream, its macabre eyes having the audacity to look surprised. 

"Bah! I _told_ you I'd rip your guts out if you invaded our territories, didn't I!?" He hucked the carcass directionally, knocking out two more weasels with the catapult of dead flesh. "Who's NEXT!?" 

Kouga dropped into a ready crouch, but for all his bravado, the wolf prince was frightened. _Really_ frightened. The blasted creatures had attacked the nursery, this time. The casualties to the tribe's pups were something he had mentally blocked. He couldn't think about that now. This incident was already feeling too much like the battles of his youth. The ones that had killed his family and ran him off the mountain. He shuddered. 

A blur whisked by in his peripheral vision, and he dove at it, only to come to a skidding halt at the last minute when he saw it was one of his own. 

"Dammit, Hakkaku, don't camouflage yourself like that!" 

"Camouflage?" his comrade ducked and swung as a rock was hurled at him. "What point is there in camouflaging? I want these bastards to see me!" 

A scream sounded, followed by a chorus of screams. Kouga jolted in panic, and looked up to where the ones they were protecting had fled. 

"SHIT! They circled around us!" Hakkaku yelled through the mayhem. "This bunch was just a decoy!" 

Kouga had already burst in the direction towards his main cave. _Those tricky, sneaky, filthy baby-eaters..._ Bits and pieces started to make sense as he raced wildly to intercept their enemy. This attack had been so deliberate and strategic that he couldn't deny the spite behind it. The weasels weren't just hungry - the nasty demons were looking to completely annihilate his tribe. 

When he got to the wolf den, what seemed to be a hundred of the enemy cornering the tribe's females and pups, backing them against the overhang with jeers and taunts. Some of the braver tenderlings hissed and snapped at the approaching enemies along with their ferocious mothers. 

_Ah! So many!_

With a growing sense of hopelessness, Kouga lunged desperately towards the crowd - only to be winded mid-air by several bristle-furred bodies. They threw him back, landing atop him with a heavy 'umph'. He tried desperately to throw them, but more jumped on. He watched in agony as the foul, sharp-toothed predators closed in on his precious tribe. More regrets than he could count assaulted his awareness. 

_Not like this...! We can't go out like--_ his captors stiffened, and he blinked. _Hn!?_

In a moment too perfect to be coincidence, the weasel youkai were stopped. An abrupt barrage of clanging beings fell on them from above, seeming to materialize from the overhang itself. Kouga's captors jolted, and he capitalized on their distraction to slay them off him. With fur, grime and blood under his nails, he staggered to his feet, and swallowed, hard, as this sudden new ally took on a familiar identity. They were nothing less than an army of the undead - an assortment of skeletal warrios armed with rusty blades, daggers, and a bloodlust to match the weasels' own. Everyone was startled, even Kouga. 

_Especially_ Kouga. 

Mixed feelings replaced the panicked rage, as he recognized this intervention could be the work of only one person. 

_Kagura…!_

The army of the undead continued to dole out punishment without mercy or apology, raining hellfire and damnation on those who had dared to attack the youroukozu. The myriad of weasel youkai rapidly waned in numbers, the red and black slaughter being one of the most thoroughly executed Kouga had ever seen. 

He realized that his part in this was over as the enemy retreated. The skeletal minions ambled after the survivors down the mountain, and something told Kouga that they wouldn't stop until all of the attackers were dead. 

Rattling bones and the dwindling foes' screams echoed back up to them until the noises finally faded, and his den was once again filled only with the sounds of his own tribe. Bared fangs, and extended claws retracted, and scowls turned to teary frowns. The females turned and embraced their children, while the smattering of Kouga's comrades all looked to him with question. 

All but Hakkaku, that was. "Ah! Kouga! Those were Kagura's armies!" 

That old familiar ache of longing formed in his chest when he heard her name. His anxiety coupled with his relief in a way that left him mute. Oh, how he yearned to see her again, but curse the broad, he'd specifically forbidden her to intervene! 

Regardless, his heart leapt as she dropped down amongst them, terrifying and beautiful. Her kimono was white with thick streaks of scarlet. Her hair, though wet from the weather was as perfect and manicured as ever. And her face…he wanted to see it, but she had her back to him. 

Awed sounds, and a handful of accusations rang out from protective females who had heard Hakkaku's assessment of who she was. 

"The Wind User?" 

"She was the one who killed my husband!" 

"You cold, heartless bitch! You wanted to save the kill for yourself, eh!?" 

Growling thrummed through the den, and Kouga's gut knotted. Confused and conflicted, he cautiously stepped towards the biggest regret of his life, wanting to run to her, yet needing to show enough distance that his tribe wouldn't know what had transpired between them. He stopped just feet away, clenching his hands into fists in order to keep himself from taking those last couple steps and embracing her like he used to."Kagura," he began, his voice betraying him with its shakiness. "I…I told you never to come here." 

All was silent, and Kouga watched with growing apprehension as she slowly turned her head to give him an elusive profile. She spoke to him quietly, over her shoulder. "Where is the rest of your tribe, Kouga?" 

As though on cue, they were interrupted by Gintu's holler. "Aah! What happened!?" The hunting crew emerged from the Eastern side, bursting through the trees as though they'd run all the way here. Boar carcasses and deer were slung hurriedly to the ground as they were met with wild chatter from the rest of the tribe. Amidst it all, Kouga got a few private words in with his people's nemesis and savior. 

"I told you not to help us…" he whispered. "They'll turn on you, no matter how many of their babies you saved-" 

"That's not why I'm here." 

Her words, spoken with that deceptively melodic voice…the one she used when she was in complete control of a situation. Fear gripped him. Ginta, noticing who their guest was quickly voiced the question they all had. 

"K-K-Kagura!?" he squeaked with unmasked trepidation. "What...what is _she_ doing here!?" 

The elemental demon squared her shoulders, and faced the pack of wide-eyed hunters. "Youroukozu," she called out with unnerving vibrato. "I believe your people have some unfinished business with me." 

Kouga took a step back. _Oh no…_

The clanging of bones sounded in the clearing as her armies returned, blood dripping from their swords like saliva from a fang. Kouga's body knew before his mind did, as it revolted against him. He reached out and grabbed her bicep. He tried to spin her around, but she stood firm, refusing to face him. 

"IDIOT!" he yelled. "I won't allow this! You're a fool if you think you can survive it!" 

His tribe mistook his words for threat, and contributed with menacing comments of their own. Kouga's grip on her arm tightened as her minions gathered together, their eyeless sockets fixed on none other than him. 

"KAGURA!" 

Whisper. "Forgive me." 

Without warning, she half-turned and swatted him back with a force he'd forgotten she had. Cries rang out as it launched him up in the air and directly into skeletal clutches. 

"NO!" Spastic, Kouga bucked and writhed as they wrapped around him like tarantula legs, hundreds of bony hands trapping his body. His comrades tried to rescue him, but the undead immediately levitated into the air. The elemental knew what she was doing. Kouga wouldn't dare transform with his people so close. 

"Kag…KAGURA! DON'T DO THIS!" he cried out as he arched his back, trying to break free. "IT WON'T WORK!" 

He was ignored. By everyone, because at this point, his tribe wanted one thing. And that was revenge. The widows circled her. The males grabbed blunt-edged clubs. The glimpses from below drove him insane with thoughts of her inevitable death. Hysterical shouts turned to desperate whimpers as he was carried away from his tribe, his mountain, and _her_... Kouga's vision blurred rapidly. All the thrashing couldn't stop it from happening. All the prayers wouldn't stay their hands. In blind agony, he unhinged his jaw, threw his head back... 

And screamed. 

* * *

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	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: For those reading through this fic for the first time, do me a favor and let me know how well this chapter flows. Were you confused? Did it disappoint? I've rewritten it 3 times already, but I think I'm done. @_@ **

**Chapter 13**  


* * *

"I hate this," Kagome hissed, spinning away from the yourouzoku. Spinning away from the warbled screams and choked grunts of their dying victim. "They're on her like a pack of scavengers. I can't believe we're just letting it happen!" 

Inuyasha reflexively wrapped his arms around her, shielding her from the gruesome spectacle. "That Kagura is a fool," he grated in a decibel too low for the swarming wolf youkai to hear. She knew he was angry that they had to participate in this ghastly event. He hadn't come willingly, but at least he'd come. "Why anyone would do all this for that annoying, big-headed, loud-mouthed idiot is beyond me." 

Had the mood been lighter, Kagome would have commented on the irony of that statement. A dull guttural exhale wheezed through the air, and Inuyasha flinched. 

"Hey," he rasped, nudging Kagome, "I…I think she's dead now." 

_Dead._ Kagome's eyes began to leak uncontrollably. If Tensaiga refused to work for Sango or Inuyasha, then- 

"Kagome," Sango whispered. "Are there…more?" 

She cringed internally, steeling herself to execute her role in all this. Absorbing the Shikon no Tama left her with the uncanny ability to see auras, and with her fists still curled tightly in her boyfriend's shirt, Kagome turned around. 

The yourouzoku had stopped moving, staggered randomly with their attention on the now lifeless - _Agh, don't look at her, Kagome…_ - lifeless lump in their midst. Even the grays of the heavy downpour weren't enough to mute out the vibrant crimson of the blood that was splattered on the widows' pelts, dripping from their claws. She watched as the red haze of ire dissipated amongst the crowd, as shoulders hunched, and grimaces eased. 

A few of the children - Kagome still couldn't believe the children had to be a part of all this - were hiding behind their mothers' legs...some muffling quiet sobs, while others donned horrified expressions too old for their faces. The adults' emotions weren't as apparent, but it didn't take a magnifying glass to see their distaste, and unease. It's not like Kagura had been attacking them to begin with... 

Her address to the wolf youkai before the killing began had sent chills down Kagome's spine. The Wind User's words had been solid, her willingness to atone for the wrongs she'd committed, sincere. She declared without wavering that they could obtain their vengeance without condition or delay. It was obvious that this person before them was not the same one who had massacred their men. Inuyasha said that even her scent had changed. 

But despite it all, "There," Kagome pointed out. "A dozen or so in the back. And over there. Beyond the crowds. They still hate. Seeing her death wasn't enough. They want it again." 

"You got your words ready?" Inuyasha asked. "To explain to them that they have another shot at purging their hearts of revenge?" 

Kagome nodded reluctantly, and then looked over to Sango, who had just pushed herself off of Kirara, Tensaiga in hand. The taiji took a step forward, and wavered. 

"Sango-chan…" 

Sango held her hand up to wave her off, and Kagome noticed how bad her fingers were trembling. As a matter of fact, the slayer didn't look well at all. Her face was white. No. Not white. Green. 

"Hey, Sango," Inuyasha said, stabilizing her. "What. Are you nervous? Did you get a chance to practice with Tensaiga before you came?" 

"Practice!?" she glared at him, uncharacteristically moody. "There was no time for that! How long do you think it'll take Sesshoumaru to realize it's missing? He's probably on his way right now to take it back, and scorch my ears with angry words." 

A tense moment of silence passed, then Inuyasha snorted. "I'm just amazed you managed to steal it to begin with. First to get him to take the stupid thing off, and then to just walk away with it… What – did you knock him out or something??" he asked. 

Sango's eyes widened, and she averted her gaze – but not before Kagome caught a furious blush tinge her cheeks. "Some…something like that…" 

Kagome's mouth opened in a small 'O', sharing in her friend's modest embarrassment. There was certainly _one_ way to get her husband's belt off, and wear him out enough to slip away unnoticed with his sword. 

Oh, the advantages of being married… 

"Hn? What do you mean… Oh, hell," Inuyasha grimaced, a little slower on the uptake. "Nevermind. I don't want to know." 

"Well, then…" the taiji took a deep breath and made her way down into the den, looking about as comfortable wielding the sword as she would a severed head. The wolf youkai, now that their nemesis was dead before them, turned their attention to their visitors' presence. 

"So why is it that you're here?" Ginta asked, more somber than Kagome had ever seen him. "Was it to bring us our enemy?" 

"The Wind User brought herself," Sango snapped. "You know that." They backed up eyeing her suspiciously, as she raised the sword above her head. There was a definite hesitation. Uncertainty clear on her features, as she eyed the fleshy clumps that used to be Kagura. She swooped down. Kagome and Inuyahsa waited. 

Nothing. 

Cursing, Sango lifted the great Tensaiga again. Kagome uttered two words like a mantra over and over… 

_Please work, please work, please work…_

But instead of swiping the blade, Sango accidentally dropped it. To all of their surprise, the woman fell to her knees, dropped her head between her shoulders and vomited. 

Right next to Kagura's corpse. 

Inuyasha choked, Kagome cried out, and both were at her side in seconds with some very confused onlookers. Kagome dropped down and eased her hand on Sango's shoulders. "Sango-chan… You're ill…" 

"I…" she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, deep breaths arching her back. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me-" 

"Keh. Give me this," Inuyasha cut off, picking up Tensaiga with his usual arrogant flare. "It can't possibly be that difficult." He stood over the corpse, and braced the sword in front of him like a samurai. His eyes narrowed and studied the body, and the air around it. Several seconds passed. 

Murmurings started to rumble through Kouga's tribe, which only served to aggravate Inuyasha more. He snarled at them. "Shut up! We'll explain it all in a sec!" Whether it was out of frustration, or to prove a point, he hauled off and swiped at the air above Kagura. They waited. 

Again, nothing. 

Kagome's chest tightened. 

He swiped again, and again, and again. "Stupid weak sword is brokennn_nnngh!_" Lightning quick, a flash of browns and whites streaked before them, hitting Inuyasha in the ribs. With a cry, the hanyou was catapulted back into the yourouzoku, knocking them down like pins in a bowling alley. But standing where he had been, having arrived so fast that none of them had caught his approach, was… 

"Sess…Sesshoumaru!" Kagome squeaked. 

Foul curses accompanied her from Inuyasha who was picking himself up in the distance, hopping mad. "What the---! What the hell was that for! It wasn't MY idea!" he shouted. 

The great demon lord didn't even spare him an explanation, and both women found themselves scooting back when he jerked his head their direction. 

Kagome cowered. _Oi, he looks pissed…_

"Shit," Sango breathed, and glanced defeat at her friend, before she met her husband's irate gaze. 

"I said no." His deep voice danced with clipped words, his golden orbs on fire through slitted lids. He was terrifying. Kagome and Sango both jumped as he reached down and picked up Tensaiga in a white-knuckled fist. "I said no, and yet you not only defied me," his pitch rising, "You _beguiled_ me!" 

Sango flinched. As a matter of fact, his presence was so intimidating that even the wolf youkai stumbled back. "You don't understand-" Sango began. 

"You know nothing of my sword," he seethed, swiping at the air. "You trick me. _Steal_ it from me. You try to wield it, and cheapen Tensaiga's abilities by using it for—" 

"But it's not cheapening it--" 

"And to subject yourself to such savagery," he glanced pointedly at the bone-littered wolf den, Kagura's corpse, and then at the puddle of puke as though expecting it to be there, "in your condition, no less. We're leaving. Now." 

Sango frowned. "My…my _condition_?" 

His lips thinned, and she reflexively scuttled back as he stepped towards her. But apparently Sesshoumaru was in no mood to play cat and mouse. Kagome was knocked aside as a long arm reached out and hooked around Sango's waist, reeling her in until she 'umphed' against his chest. 

But the taiji wouldn't let it go. "You said condition. _What_ condition?" 

For a moment, Kagome could have sworn he looked uncomfortable – something only confirmed by the fact that he tried to brush over it by trying to leave. Inuyasha appeared at her side, then…still peeved, but more interested in the interaction between the husband and wife. 

After three steps, Sango pegged Sesshoumaru with a glare worthy of his own. "Sesshoumaru!" she snapped. "You think I can't tell when you're hiding something from me!?" 

He tried to move on, but she hooked her leg around his knee, causing him to come to an abrupt stop. The mighty demon lord growled and glanced at her in aggravation. 

"If something's wrong with me, then I think I have a right to know!" she yelled, and Kagome sensed a small fear beneath Sango's frustration. Could she be terminally ill? She _had_ been acting rather sickly… 

"Nothing is wrong with you," he answered. 

"You're lying." 

"You're pregnant." 

"And I—" she stopped. Jaw dropped. Blinked several times. "What?" 

Thinking the discussion was over, Sesshoumaru tried to carry her off, but Sango was far from finished. She grabbed long, wet locks of his radiant hair in both fists, and tugged until he grunted discomfort. When she finally found her voice, it wasn't pretty. 

"WHAT!?" 

He said nothing. Didn't even look at her, which was a sure sign he knew he was in trouble. 

"And how long have you known this!?" Sango screeched. 

"Sixteen and a half days." 

"Six…six_teen_ and a half--!?" words were lost as she began to stutter, the pale hue to her face giving way to a fierce red. Kagome thought it was great news, but she'd heard all about the emotional dynamics of a pregnant woman. And Sango was rapidly going from shocked to belligerent. "And you weren't going to tell me!?" 

Pause. "You would have figured it out, eventually." 

"Wrong answer," Inuyasha whispered in Kagome's ear. "Look how quickly he forgot about Tensaiga when he realized he stuck his foot in his mouth—" Kagome shushed him. 

Sango would have reeled, had her feet been grounded. "What! Is your human _cow_ not important enough to share this news with!?" 

Even Sesshoumaru seemed taken aback by her abrupt anger. "There's no reason for you to be so upset—" 

"I'm only the MOTHER, you know!!" 

Inuyasha started to snigger. "hehehee… He is so bust-ed—" 

Kagome elbowed him. 

Sango shook her fist. "I'M in charge of its life, and here I am endangering _our_ child by lifting heavy things, subjecting myself to stress, and," she smacked her hand to her forehead, "drinking tea! I've been drinking tea all this time! GAH! Did you know that tea is bad for a babe in the womb!? Kagome told me it starves the fetus of nutrients!" 

Sango fell into a coughing fit, and despite his aggravation, Sesshoumaru dropped his sword to brace her with his other hand. "You had no right being here, to begin with. Calm down. Stop getting so worked up over this—" 

"No _right_?" In between coughs, she hooked her hand in the neckline of his shirt, and yanked him down until their faces were inches apart. "_Sesshoumaru_," the taiji was trembling, her temperament no doubt enhanced by the mood swings of the first trimester, "Get your _mighty_ ass _over_ there and resurrect that woman THIS instant, or so help me I'll stay HERE for the remaining eight months and deliver our baby in a pile of bones and excrement!!" 

He blinked widely. His lips moved over unvoiced objections. The tables actually flipped, they turned so fast. Perhaps it was the visuals. Or maybe the daggers in her eyes. But after several moments, a red-faced Sango succeeded in glaring the powerful demon lord into submission. With a growl, Sesshoumaru set her down forcefully, picked up Tensaiga with a curse that even made Inuyasha choke, and marched over to Kagura's corpse. 

* * *

Kagura clawed at the dirt as her spirit reentered her body for the second time that day. Crimson eyes fluttered open to see the dog demon's familiar back as he shuffled away from her, sheathing his amazing sword. She half-wished he'd never shown up. 

Having a regenerated body didn't purge the memories. She had already begun twitching from the debilitating flashbacks of her last death, and curled into herself for several moments, until they subsided. Kagura wasn't sure how many more times she could do this. Kouga had been right. Being ripped apart by the nasty claws of angry widows was a terrible way to die. 

Taking several deep breaths she forced herself up on shaky limbs. There was no hiding it from them now. The trauma these deaths were causing her psyche were taking their toll. Her bravery had waned. She was a trembling, pathetic mess, and two seconds away from begging them to spare her life. 

Either that, or killing them all in self defense. Sure she had no weapon. No means of escape… But self-sacrifice went against every thread of her being, and if they came at her again… After she'd already given her life, twice… 

"Kagura…" 

It was the miko's voice. Kagome. That foreign, strange attire appeared in her peripheral vision. The girl walked over and crouched down, resting a warm hand on her back. Kagura was almost afraid to meet her gaze. The kid was probably going to try and talk her out of it. She was more than a little ashamed of the catch in her voice. "Still…more?" 

Kagome's fingers tightened. "No, Kagura. There's no more." 

The Elemental. No more? With her heart in her throat, she sat up and apprehensively stared at the hundreds of wolf youkai standing around her. Many still had her blood dripping from their claws, and splattered on their pelts. Her elbows began to shake again at the memories, but soon quieted when she saw their faces. Faces more pained than hateful. 

Could...could it be over? 

"Wind User." 

Kagura turned her head to see a striking female shoulder her way through the crowd to approach them. Her eyes were violet. Her hair was wild, framing a pretty, angular face. She walked with authority, and Kagura knew without being told that she'd been married to one of the leaders. 

Two young boys tagged along beside her, both eyeing Kagura and her friends with unmasked wonderment. The female rested her hands on their small shoulders out of what seemed to be reflex, and looked down at their once-sworn enemy. 

"I think enough blood has been spilt today." 

All was quiet. The rest of the tribe sustained her words with their silent agreement. The unspoken pardon caused Kagura's eyes to sting. She scrunched her lids shut and bowed her head so that they could not see the abrupt emotion in her face. Whether it was immense relief that she didn't have to suffer through another death, or joy that there might yet be a chance for her and Kouga, she wasn't sure. 

Perhaps it was both. 

The female turned to go. 

"Wait," Kagura said, standing to her feet. Her legs were still shaky, and she leaned heavily on Kagome who looked at her with concern. There were two events that needed to happen today, her sacrifice just being the first. "Your people are still endangered." 

The female quirked a brow in question. 

"And they will be for years to come…" 

Kagura held the woman's gaze, feeling a bit like her old self. She pushed away from Kagome. "Your land is coveted by powerful enemies. I can walk away from here, today, and the great yourouzoku might find themselves all…dead…a month from now from another attack." 

The female flinched at the suggestion, but did not deny it. "What are you getting at?" 

"How important are your people's lives to you?" Kagura asked. "How much do you want to stay in your homes? To flourish again?" 

The female's guard was back up, and she glared. Her voice had dropped dangerously low. "You mock me with your questions. You should know that words cannot describe these desires." 

Kagura made a fist, and took a step forward. "Then hear me out," she began, her nerves fluttering all the way up into her throat. Low murmurs coursed through the tribe. This was the moment. It all depended on how she proposed it. "I want an exchange from you." 

The rustling through the tribe crescendoed. Kagura continued before she lost her nerve. 

"I would stand by your tribe in the years to come. Not as friend. Nor protector. But as an ally in fortifying your defenses, and preserving your lives. Putting the wolf youkai back at the top of the tribal hierarchy, where they belong." 

Several emotions battled for control of the female's face, right then. Her gaze dropped to her two sons clinging to her legs. She wasn't the only one taken aback by Kagura's offer. Stunned sounds ricocheted throughout the onlookers. 

But their reluctance was nearly palpable. _Damn their pride…_ "Think about it," Kagura added. "Your young ones would be safe. They could grow to adulthood. You could carry and bear children without the worries of having them snatched from you by hordes of hungry weasels…" 

"You said an exchange," the female responded, not so quick to make any deal with Naraku's secondborn. "What are you asking of us in return?" 

This was it. Had Kagura offered her help without condition, then their honor would have prevented them from accepting it. But to make a fair exchange - allowing them to contribute to their own protection… That's what all this hinged on. So naturally what she asked for in return had to be big enough to be plausible. And it just so happened to be the one thing she wanted all along. 

"Well?" 

"Your prince," Kagura answered without further hesitation, straightening her spine and raising her voice. _This_ part of the deal was not negotiable. 

"I want your prince." 

* * *

He'd escaped her hordes sooner than she'd expected. Kagura had been sitting on Kouga's straw bedding, trying desperately to cope with her own deaths, and contemplating the absolute necessity for a door, when an air current arrived with his vibe on the wind. 

_Already!? _

She stood to her feet, and dusted the straw off her borrowed attire. Nervous hands straightened a soft pelt skirt, and refastened a fur wrap that clung snugly to her breasts. It wasn't as classy as she was accustomed to, but it beat being naked. And the kimono she'd arrived in was now just a heap of bloody rags. 

A heap of bloody rags that was still sitting in the center of the wolves' den. The wolves' _empty_ den, thanks to Kagome's ability to coerce the tribe to vacate for a few hours. Apparently Kouga's hatred for her had been legendary. After the unanimous decision had been made to let the "exchange" be Kouga's call, since he was the one that would ultimately pay for it, no one questioned whether or not she'd need some private time to talk him into it. 

To them, it was a given. 

Two of his buddies had even laughed out loud when they heard her request, saying something about how Kouga would rather crawl up a dung demon's ass than be locked into a marriage with Kagura. 

Had she not just finished getting violently killed twice in a row, she might have laughed right along with them. Perhaps fate was on their side after all- 

Heavy breathing. Coming from the entrance. Kagura froze, excited, nervous, and fearful all at once. _He's here... _

Before he entered, she half-hoped that his tribe had intercepted him on the way up, letting him know what had transpired. But when the prince burst into the den, she quickly realized he must have rushed right past them. 

He staggered in on shaky limbs, his vibrant eyes searching, and frantic. Cuts and sores covered him, giving her the impression that he'd been running _through_ trees instead of taking the time to go around them. The boy even still had the black eye from when she'd backhanded him into her minions, which meant that his spirit was so traumatized, his body couldn't heal itself. 

Her throat constricted. _Oh, Kouga… _

He didn't see her, his attention immediately drawn to the blood on the floor. On the rock walls. On the closest trees. It was everywhere. And it was hers. 

He gasped, scrunched his eyes shut, took two steps, and fell to all fours. Those broad, strong shoulders began to shake, and he hunched over himself until his head was nestled in the nook of his arm. A white-knuckled fist started pounding the earth, and his voice echoed up to where she was standing in a form she'd never heard it in, before. Throaty, wordless pants that almost seemed melodic… 

It took her a moment to recognize it as weeping. 

_Kami…he thinks I'm dead…_ "Kouga…" 

He didn't hear her. She shook the rigidity from her limbs and quickly climbed down to the ground level, her soft feet scuffing the rocks as she ran up to him. She would have fallen on him, but he had to see her. Whole. And alive. "Kouga!" 

He stiffened. She held her breath as his chin slowly lifted, seeing bare legs, fur pelts. The attire of his people, and not the silken, full-lengthed kimono she usually wore. His expression twisted, no doubt questioning his own sanity if he was hearing _her_ voice from what was obviously a woman of his tribe. 

"Look at me!" she hissed. 

Her command tilted his head back enough, and when he saw, he transformed. Choked surprise. Flushed, wet cheeks stretched as his jaw dropped. Glistening, sapphire eyes looked her from head to toe, his brow lifting in the center, as though not daring to believe... 

"It worked, Kouga," she started to ramble, "Listen. I know I scared you. Forgive me. I didn't want to do it that way, but you wouldn't let me try. And I had to try! Do you understand that? And your people - they're at peace, knowing they've avenged their dead. What's more, we can even_nnumph_!" 

He'd tackled her. Sat up, lunged off his knees, and wrapped both of those long, strong arms around her waist, burying his face in her belly. His words came out in a hiccupping cadence. "I th-thought that…that they had... That you were..." 

"It's okay." Her eyes watered as she leaned over him and cradled his head in her arms. It was both wonderful and excruciating to hold him like this. He was still shaking, those bittersweet, undignified whimpers muffled warmly against her skin. She pressed her lips against his crown, and ran her nails through his obsidian hair. "I'm fine, Kouga. Everything is going to be fine…" 

* * *

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	14. Epilogue

**A/N: The epilogue is the same, but the THIRD rewrite of chapter 13 is done. It's basically the original ending, except Sesshoumaru...agh, can't ruin it. I'll tell ya what, though - I'm never trying to write a story based solely on the characters' chemistry again. @_@ Too difficult. Must have a plot. lol! **

**_Epilogue_**

* * *

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

It was definitely colder than when she'd left. Patches of snow mottled the ground and clung to the trees, and foliage that was green and lush before was now shriveled and brown. It had only been a few days, but Kouga was right. Winter hit hard and fast in these regions. 

Several of the tribe's females, and their children were on the perimeters of the den, fashioning warmer attire out of a wide assortment of lynx and rabbit pelts. Others seemed to have taken Kagura's idea and were sewing together long sheets of the soft stuff, for bedding. 

Kagura inhaled deeply and looked in mild annoyance at her twitching hands - a left over side effect from her brutal sacrifices. The shaking had gotten better over the past couple months, but it was still there. And after spending several nights away, without Kouga's warm and comforting body curled around her, she'd had a slight lapse. Slipping them inside of her kimono to hide them, she dismounted her feather. 

Several faces looked up as she descended. She felt their stare as clearly as the chill, but at least it wasn't as awkward as it once was. Generally, they tried to ignore her, which was something she preferred. 

Padded feet dropped down on cold stone. Most of the females had quieted, and gone back to their skins, but a few of the bolder ones held her gaze. And naturally, those were the ones she addressed. 

"Were there any incidents in my absence?" she asked calmly. 

A mild shaking of heads. The violet-eyed female - the one Kagura had acknowledged as the unnamed matriarch of the tribe, voiced the negative. 

"None. Though Kouga won't be too thrilled that you've returned. He was hoping you were gone for good." 

It took her a moment to process the fact that the female was giving her more than a one-word answer. Almost like she was initiating conversation. "Is..." she cleared her throat, "Is that right?" 

"Mmm." 

Unable to resist, Kagura's lip curled up in a trademark sneer, and she held up her wrist to pointedly admire the iron bracelet of hers and Kouga's sealing. "Maybe I should go remind him where his affections lie." 

A handful of the females grinned in amusement before they hurriedly looked back down. Had she not heard a chuckle or two, she would have thought she'd imagined it. _Are they finally relaxing around me?_ It seemed they liked the idea of their leader being put through the tortures of a 'forced' matrimony with someone that he 'hated'. Especially since Kouga put on such a great show when he was protesting. No doubt a wonderful source of entertainment for the tribe. 

_Hn..._ Keeping her thoughts to herself, she left them and made her way up the mountain path…only to nearly stumble over a bundle of moreno limbs and black fur that was pushed out in front of her. The tumble squeaked, and dove back at the tree from whence he emerged, landing himself in a scuffle with his brother. 

She smiled internally. _The twins..._ They always seemed to be flanking Kouga's sides, smitten with the most obvious case of leader worship she'd ever seen. Maybe it was because they were in the den so often, or perhaps it was that they all shared an affection for the wolf prince in common, but the two pups had gotten accustomed to her presence more quickly than the others. One might even say that the little tykes liked her. 

Kagura quirked a brow at them as they fell all over each other, making the one all the more embarrassed. He turned and bopped his brother on the head. 

"Bink! You monkey turd!" 

Giggle giggle, punch, kick. "Hey, Kagura! Bonk missed you!" 

"SHUTUP!" 

"He...he thinks you're real pretty!" 

"AGH!! I'll kill you!" 

Kagura felt the blood rush to her face with an odd sensation she later recognized as flattery. _Well, this is a first…_ She tried her hardest to keep a straight face, and opened her mouth to respond with her usual witty flippancy. But no words would come out. She had no practiced comeback for this. None at all. 

"Look! You embarrassed her, you idiot!" Bonk cried, and lunged after his brother with both fists swinging. Bink dodged, and high tailed it down the hill with an angry twin on his heels. As their giggles and shouts faded, Kagura finally letting a surprised laugh trickle off her lips. Such a warm welcome, already, and all without even seeing her husband yet. 

Contented, she moved on into the den. Kouga was sitting there with Hakkaku, Ginta, and a handful of others, going over some parchments. His head shot up when she entered, barely tempering a smile in time to make it a scowl. 

"Bah! I smelled your stink on the wind minutes ago, wench. And here I got my hopes up, thinking you'd never return!" 

She smirked. "I missed you, too." 

He visibly sulked, and she noticed the crinkled eyes and repressed chuckles of his buddies as they watched the display. 

"Well, get your ass outside," Kouga barked. "We're in the middle of an important meeting-" 

"It's just food storage," Ginta commented, a moment later nursing a Kouga-inflicted bump on his head. 

"We'll see how _unimportant_ you think it is when two months from now, YOU DON'T HAVE IT!" 

"Kouga," Kagura interrupted. 

"WHAT!?" 

She made her way up towards his sleeping quarters, which were now hidden securely behind a thick, soundproof door. "I haven't seen my husband for days. I'd like to have a word with him." 

"Keh! If you think I'm just going to let you strut in here and yank me around-" 

With a deliberate flick of her fan, a dust devil materialized in the den directly under the pack leader. He yelped as it twisted his body up in the air, all his limbs stretching out in a spastic manner. She sauntered on into his quarters and didn't miss the laughter of his friends as he was hurled in half a second later, sputtering loud curses all the way. 

But his boisterous protesting stopped the second the door closed. He dropped the façade, and crossed the distance between them in two giant steps, nearly winding her with his embrace. Big arms wrapped around her little frame, lifting her off the floor. She quickly clasped her shaky hands behind his neck to keep him from seeing the state her post-trauma nerves had digressed to. It's not like they weren't going to get better, now that she was back home. So why worry him? 

"You were gone forever…" he muffled against her neck as he nuzzled it vigorously. "Two weeks, at least." 

She smiled, tilting her head to the side. "It was only a few days." 

He moved his kisses to her jaw…her ear… "Better've finished… M'not letting you leave, again." 

"The…" her speech slurred. The fact was, she had missed him too, but it was especially difficult to stay coherent when he was smothering her like this. "The barrier is in place. Villagers…are safe. Shyouga is now their guardian…" 

He paused. "Shyouga?" 

"Mm…" 

His deep, chuckling exhale blew hotly down her collar, penetrating the silk of her kimono. Her breath caught. There was something unbelievably arousing about being laughed - not at, not with - but laughed _on_. She couldn't explain it, and didn't even try. 

"As long as it frees you up," he purred, pulled back and rubbed her nose. He leaned in to kiss her lips, and she pulled back teasingly. 

"I'll still visit them, you know." 

He snorted good-naturedly. "The hell you will. If it weren't for my good graces, then you wouldn't have been able to leave to begin with." 

She quirked a brow. "Oh? You might consider being nicer to me, Prince Kouga. Another male in your tribe has already expressed interest in me, so I'd watch if it I were you." 

His smile straightened. "What?" 

"Mm-hmm." 

His grip loosened as he reeled back, a green hue tinting his skin while red pinpricks flashed in his eyes. "Who!?" 

She shrugged nonchalantly, and turned her back to him, suddenly finding her fingernails very, _very_ interesting. "And he's cute, too." 

"WHO!? I swear, I'll rip his eyes out for even-" 

"Bonk." 

"_looking _ at…" Pause. "Bonk?" 

Her shoulders started to shake with mirth. "Bonk." 

Another pause. She looked back to see his face flushed with embarrassment. Kouga rubbed his brow in exasperation, shaking his head. "You trying to start an inter-tribal war?" 

She turned back around and grabbed his waist in a placating gesture. "Well, that's not all. Some of the tribe's females made eye contact with me, today." 

His face opened in honest surprise. "Oh?" 

She nodded. "I think I even made some of them laugh. At your expense, of course." 

His arms dropped, and he slid his hands behind her, clasping them low against her back. "They're getting accustomed to you," he said, and she didn't miss the pleased tone in his voice. "Good. The sooner they grow to accept you, the sooner I can stop pretending to hate you in public." 

She smirked. "I don't mind the fights." 

A half second later, Kouga found himself caged against the wall. He blinked down at her in brief surprise, and then laughed, hoisting her up against him. Conversation over, he caught her lips and immediately slipped his tongue between her teeth, impatient hands moving to caress all the places they weren't allowed to before… And well… 

…there was only one way to end a kiss like that. 

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